Just when you think you’ve heard of all of the pantry items out there, you find out about a new one that you should probably add to your list: aquafaba. It’s the cool new egg white substitute that you can easily find in areas with more advanced vegan food scenes; and it's that semi-opaque liquid you strain out after opening a can of chickpeas.
Without getting into too much of the nitty-gritty, the liquid inside canned chickpeas is full of protein (much like a standard egg white) because of the intensity of the cooking process the cans go through. The result is a protein liquid that can be used in a million different ways, from meringues and icings to soups and stocks as a thickener, to mayonnaise, and even as faux-egg white cocktails.
Try out this simple recipe for vegan meringue with fresh fruit to see how you can turn this magical liquid into a delicious, summery dessert that everyone around your dinner table can enjoy.
Meringue
Place aquafaba, vanilla and cream of tartar into a stand mixer or a bowl and whip on high until light and very foamy, about 3 minutes.
Continue to whip while very slowly pouring in cane sugar. As you whip, the foamy mixture will begin to turn solid white.
After about 5 minutes of whipping, see if the meringue holds stiff peaks. If mixture appears to be too viscous still, whip for a minute or two longer and add a small amount of extra sugar if needed.
Remove mixing bowl, cover and keep cool in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Fruit mixture
Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss gently until port and maple syrup have evenly coated the fruit. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.
To serve, spoon out meringue onto 6 small plates, top each with some of the fruit mixture, followed by walnuts.
- Yield:
- 6 servings, plus more meringue for later
- Prep Time:
- 20 mins
