Calcifer Meringues

If you still haven’t watched Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle, then I’m pretty sure you are confused (or possibly amused) by today’s post. When I mentioned it to my sister, her reaction was, “That sounds like Lucifer, or a devil.” Actually, a very similar response was echoed by my friend. (They both did not watch the movie.)
Calcifer is a fire demon and in the English dubbed version of the movie, is voiced by Billy Crystal (aka. Mike Wazawoski from Monsters, Inc., Miracle Max from Princess Bride or Harry from When Harry Met Sally <= my favorite movie of all time!). Incredibly cute and boisterous at times, he is one of the most memorable characters of the movie.The meringue recipe I’m sharing is delicious and can be flavored with different extract or add-ins, but this time I chose to keep it simple by tinting it in different colors and shaping it so it has a flame-like body. Stirring the gel food coloring does deflate the meringue a bit and spooning it onto the parchment paper in layered dollops seems to produce a few cracks in the meringue. This is just a theory because I’ve made this recipe before and it produces very white, no-crack meringues when piped into little shapes.
I wanted the meringues to be super vibrant, but this is as bright as I could get them without compromising the structure of the meringue batter. As for the inside of the meringue, the color is much more vibrant on the inside and I am in love with it. Color and small crack issues aside, the meringues are melt-in-your-mouth crisp and has a wonderful marshmallow-y chewy interior. It’s love at
first bite.

Calcifer Meringues
Makes 7 Large Meringues

Ingredients
300 g. superfine sugar
150 g. egg whites, room temperature
1 pinch cream of tartar
yellow gel food color
orange gel food color
red gel food color
white candy melts
candy eyes

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Spread sugar in an even layer over parchment.
3. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add the egg whites and the cream of tartar.
4. Place sugar into the oven and bake until the edges of the sugar begins to melt but not brown, about 5 minutes.
5. Once the sugar begins to melt, turn the mixer onto high.
6. Remove baking sheet from the oven and the eggs whites should be foamy.
7. Turn the mixer to medium high and slowly pour the hot sugar from the parchment paper into egg whites.
8. Once all the sugar is added, turn the mixer onto high and mix until stiff, shiny peaks form.
9. Divide batter evenly into three separate bowls, coloring each portion red, yellow and orange.
10. Reduce oven to lowest setting 140˚F.
11. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper.
12. Taking two spoons, place a dollop of the yellow batter and layer it with the orange and then the red. Repeat until all the meringue batter is used.
13. Bake about 2-3 hours until they are crisp and hollow.
14. Turn off oven and let it dry out for about 30 minutes to an hour.
15. When meringues are completely cool and dry, melt two white candy melt wafers and dot behind two eyes and place the eyes onto the bottom third of Calcifer’s face.
16. Let candy melt set and you are now ready to enjoy your meringue.

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Meringue recipe adapted from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook.