french meringues with blackberry syrup

I got this recipe from One More Moore, a creative blog I like to "stalk." I altered her recipe a bit, screwed it up, then altered it more... and the syrup recipe is all mine {though the idea was hers, too, if truth be told}. We had company over last night and had these for dessert. They were good, really good, but they need a little tweaking. Next time I'll do things a little differently {i.e. throw in some vanilla and pay closer attention to the whipping}. But the general concept was too good not to post.


RECIPE: French Meringues

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
2 1/4 powdered sugar

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees. Line baking sheet with silpat or parchment paper. Whip the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add all the sugar in small bits. Mix in Kitchen-Aid on medium speed for 30-40* minutes until satiny and looks like whipped cream.

Place in pastry bag and pipe into desired shape (I used a large star shaped tip with my bag). Place in oven and put a wooden spoon in the oven door to keep it slightly propped open (this will avoid getting cracks in the meringues).

Bake for 3 hours. Make sure they are completely dry before pulling them out of the oven.Allow to cool completely & store in an air-tight container.

OR You can do it MY way and over whip them {*note to self: in the future, disregard the time frame and just watch for the stiff peaks to form... lesson learned}, add way too much extra sugar and an extra egg white {why not?} to the mix in attempts to salvage the meringue soup... all the while failing anyway. Then spoon {pour!} the mixture into cupcake tins and bake at 300 until the lil' beauties are pretty much dried out {but slightly pie-top-like-meringuey inside since you have no patience} and more resemble macaroons. Then eat them anyway... and still think they're pretty great. :) {I'm just sayin'... it's an option!}

RECIPE: Blackberry Syrup

Ingredients:
1/2 c. water
1 c. sugar (plain ol' white sugar)
2 c. frozen blackberries

Directions:
Over high heat {faster is better, imo}, bring water to a boil. Add sugar and stir. Let the mix boil for a few minutes to dissolve and thicken a tiny bit. Add blackberries. Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occassionally, until the syrup reaches the desired consistency (probably about 5 minutes). Serve hot, over oh-so-yummy meringues... and enjoy!