King's Arms Tavern Meringues
with Vanilla Ice Cream
and Strawberry Sauce

Ingredients (serves 6)

4 large egg whites,
at room temperature
Pinch salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

1 pint fresh strawberries,
cleaned and hulled
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar,
or more to taste
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Butter and flour a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl, with an electric mixer or balloon whisk, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Gradually add the sugar, beating constantly until stiff peaks form.

Transfer the meringue to a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe 3-inch-long, 2-inch-high ovals onto the baking sheet. Bake until firm and light tan colored, about 30 minutes. Turn the oven off for 1 hour, leaving the meringues in the oven. Turn the oven on again to 250°F. and bake 30 minutes longer. Turn the oven off and leave for at least 2 hours without opening the door.

Slice the strawberries and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the confectioners' sugar over. Crush about a third of the berries with a fork and let the mixture stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

To serve, arrange the meringues in individual bowls and top with a generous scoop of ice cream. Spoon or ladle the strawberries over and serve at once.

This recipe is featured in "The Colonial Williamsburg Tavern Cookbook" available from our
online catalog.