My Love Affair with Meringue

I bought this cookbook last week just because it had a recipe for meringues in it. Looking at the picture, I could almost taste the sweet, satiny texture of this simple, straightforward concoction of egg whites and sugar. Instantly, my endorphins kicked in!

I've had a long standing affair with meringue. I think it must have started when I was in elementary when Roxanne Arcilla sold little, pink and white ones to us, her grade 6 classmates. From then on, I've tried any version I could lay my hands on. There was the cheap, firm kind you could buy in the sari-sari stores. Then there's small, white airy ones made in Lucban, Quezon in those cans with blue and white labels. But my all-time favorite are those from Panaderia de Molo - the light beige, slightly burnt, gooey ones with casuy. Last night, I had a taste of Parisian macaroons in Bizu. I'm guessing that somewhere in the heart of that dessert is meringue, what else. From a melange of flavors and colors, I chose only two: rose and caramel. Wooh, I thought I was in meringue heaven!

When I get the time to bake (which I probably never will!), that picture in the cookbook will materialize to feed my senses. In the meantime there's dark cherry, mint, vanilla, lemon, etc. calling out to me. Soon, my loves, soon!