Meringue swirls

Ingredients:

• Whites of 3 large eggs at room temperature
• A pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise (or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• Large decorative sugar and/or silver nonpareils, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 120°C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with a whisk attachment on medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar; increase the speed to medium-high and add the superfine sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Scrape the vanilla seeds from the bean into the meringue (or add vanilla extract) and continue beating until the sugar dissolves and the meringue is thick, glossy, and holds stiff peaks, about 6 minutes.
3. Fit a piping bag with a large star-shaped tip. Fill the bag with meringue and pipe spirals onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2.5 cm apart. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
4. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the meringues sit in the oven until completely dry, about 2 hours. Store in a tightly sealed container for up to 1 week..