This one is a fun one for when you have company coming over and you want to seem fancy! I made this for just Romain and I and it seemed real fancy for just the two of us. It’s pretty simple, it just takes a little extra planning. Make sure you put out the eggs for the meringue so they are room temperature and leave time for the meringue to dry in the oven and you’ll be golden!

Red Wine Poached Pears:

2 bottles of red wine (we used merlot)

1 orange (just for the peel)

3/4 cups of sugar

A splash of vanilla extract or a vanilla bean

4 pears, ripe but still firm, peeled, cut in half and cored

Combine everything except the pears in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer, add the pears and simmer for 15-20, making sure to flip occasionally. You can remove the pears and continue to cook the liquid to make a sauce.

Meringue Nests:

4 large egg whites at room temperature

A splash of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar

3/4 cups of granulated sugar

Preheat over to 200 degrees and line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Whip the egg whites with the vanilla and cream of tartar on medium, then up the speed to high and add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, until glossy and stiff peaks form. This took about 5-7 minutes. Then just spread out on your parchment in about 8 small piles, with a little dip in the middle for the “nest”. Bake for an hour and then turn the oven off, leaving the door cracked to dry the meringue out. The longer the better, but we only let our’s dry for an hour.

These nests are pretty sweet, but the texture is really satisfying – really chewing inside with a crunchy exterior. You can make these and add fresh berries too! The pears were a nice contrast, but I will say it was missing a topping, so I would suggest chopped nuts, mint leaves and a sauce of some sort. Chocolate sauce would be perfect! Enjoy! 🙂