Halloween Baking: Meringue Bones

FOR THE MERINGUES:

• 6 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 280g caster sugar

FOR THE MIXED BERRY COULIS:

• 200g fresh raspberries, blackberries or stoned cherries, hulled halved, or200g frozen mixed berries
• 50g caster sugar
• 50ml water

1. Preheat the oven to 120°C (gas mark 1) and line a baking tray.
2. In a bowl, whip the egg whites with the lemon juice until soft peaks form – approximately 5 minutes. Slowly beat in the sugar – 2 tablespoons at a time – and continue until stiff peaks form.
3. Spoon the mix into a piping bag fitted with a small hole cut out of the very end or a Wilton 10 tip.
4. Pipe your shapes onto a prepared baking tray – start at the round edge of the bone and work your way down to make the length, then finish on the round of the opposite side. Repeat in reverse to make a crisscross, overlapping your meringue down the length of the bone, and ensuring there are no weak spots where the meringue is too thin and likey to break.
5. Bake for 1 hour, or until set. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to dry for another hour.
6. Place all the mixed berry coulis ingredients in a medium sized heavy bottomed pan and bring to the boil over a gentle heat, stirring continuously. Reduce to a simmer and heat for 15 minutes, or until thickened.
7. Allow to cool, then transfer the coulis to a liquidiser or use a hand blender to purée. Finally pass it through a sieve, pushing through as much pulp as possible and discarding any seeds.
8. After the hour, remove meringues from the oven and serve with the coulis ‘blood’.