Vanilla Coconut Meringue Swans
Ingredients :
1 cup granulated sugar
seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean (optional)
3 large egg whites
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup unsweetened , shredded coconut
1/2 oz each dark and white chocolate for decoration
red and yellow food coloring ( for the beak )
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 275 F
Prepare your baking sheets : on a parchment paper draw 12 or 15 (depending on the size you would like your swans to be ), question marks spacing evenly .
3. In the bowl combine sugar and vanilla seeds and massage with your fingertips until you have a fragrant mixture. Add egg whites and kosher salt and place the sugar -egg mixture in a double boiler over the medium heat. Whisk constantly until the mixture is warm to the touch and the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. You can check if your mixture is ready by rubbing a dab between your fingertips -you shouldn't feel any grit.
4.Pour sugar and egg whites mixture into a bowl of a stand mixer and with a whisk attachment, beat the mixture until you have a stiff and glossy meringue, about 1 minute. Beat in the lemon juice.
5.Transfer about a cup of the meringue to a pastry bag and snip the corner to make an opening of about a 1/4 inch, and pipe swan necks following the lines you drew.Staring at the base of the question mark and finishing around the curve, making a peak of meringue by flicking the pastry bag to form the swan beaks.
Squeeze any remaining meringue in the bag back into the bowl.
6.Add coconut into remaining meringue and fold until incorporated. transfer the mixture into the pastry bag, snip a larger opening and pipe mounds of meringue at the base of the swan necks form the bodies.
7.Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and bake on the center rack until the meringues are firm and dry to the touch but still soft in the centers, 35 to 40 minutes.Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
