Mamma's Meringue Nests

This is a favorite of mine that comes from my mothers kitchen. This has become a New Years Eve  Tradition, first in my mothers home and now in ours.

Mamma's Meringue Nests

Ingredients:
4 Large Egg Whites
1 C Castor Sugar
5ml Lemon Juice
70ml Icing Sugar
Rice baking paper
2 Baking trays/Sheets
Piping/Icing tubes
Optional treat: 1 Slab of Dark chocolate

Method:
1. Whisk egg whites until stiff and dry
2. Add the Castor sugar a Tablespoon at a time while beating, for 8 minutes.
3. Prepare a baking tray with rice paper so the meringues wont stick to the tray. (Trust me, no amount of greasing will work!)
4. Spread a Tablespoon of the mixture into a circle about at wide as a coffee mug.
5. Repeat, about 6-8 times per tray.
6. Now put the remaining mixture into a piping tube or nozzle and make nest wall on each circle. (usually 2x high)
7. Bake for 2 hours at 100*
8. When they come out of the oven, let them rest about 20 minutes.
9. Gently peel the rice paper off them (don't worry if some remains, it's edible :) )

Optional Treat: Melt the broken slab of chocolate over low heat or in the microwave, be careful not to burn it! Take it slow. Now take a nest and coat the bottom with chocolate, repeat for the rest.

Serve them with seasonal berries and cream!

Makes about 8