These meringues are show stopping. I've seen huge, blowsy meringues everywhere I go, from Ottolenghi's, Del Aziz (around the corner from where I live), to Rick Stein's in Padstow. And now I have the perfect recipe (from Sainsbury's magazine) which will recreate them perfectly.
Ingredients
350g caster sugar
6 eggs whites (separate them from the yolks using your hands as a sieve, I find that they are far less likely to break the yolk done this way)
2 tsp cocoa powder
1. Begin by pre-heating the oven to 140 degrees Celsius.
2. Start by whisking the egg whites in a totally clean, grease-free bowl with an electric whisk.
4. Gradually incorporate the sugar, whisking on a high speed all the while.
4. After about 5 minutes, you should have reached the stiff peak stage.
5. Rub a little of the mixture between your fingers, it should feel totally smooth and not at all grainy.
6. Sieve the cocoa powder into the bowl and fold three times to get the desired rippled effect.
7. Spoon eight large meringues onto a baking tray covered in baking paper.
8. Bake for one hour and then leave to cool in the oven over night, to get that yummy chewy texture.