Beet and Goat Cheese Meringues

These beauties are not your conventional meringue (they’re salty and sweet, for starters) but whip them up and you’ll find that beets and goat cheese are a timeless and rule-defying pairing.

1. Preheat the oven to 260F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large glass or porcelain bowl, whip the egg whites and the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until stiff peaks form. Add the beet juice powder and whip again until well incorporated.

3. Fill the meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe small meringues and bake for 40-50 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool inside. (This takes about 2 hours.) Do not immediately remove the meringues from the oven as they will crack. 

4. In a medium bowl, mash the goat cheese and mix it with the honey, the minced garlic clove and dried basil.

5. Fill the cheese mixture into a small piping bag fitted with a round tip and set aside.

6. When the meringues have cooled, fill them with the goat cheese mixture and sandwich them together.

7. (Optional) Dust with more beet juice powder for decoration.