Cardamom Meringues

These meringues make me think of last Valentine's day. Because at the exact moment that my fiance proposed, I happened to be eating a light, fluffy, powdery meringue.

If they weren't already my favorite dessert (which they were), I think that moment would have done it.

But the meringue I was eating in Paris was, in fact, a caramel meringue, and I vowed after that moment to recreate them at home. Instead, I have somehow gotten distracted by the earthy, unique scent of cardamom, which somehow found its way into these, my most recent meringue concoction.

It's hard to believe I've been engaged for a full year already, and that the wedding is coming up so soon (July!). I like to think that I'm too laid back to ever become the bridezilla type, but we will see. It helps that I am lucky enough to have a mother who is willing to handle all of the unglamorous wedding details, like figuring out the type of tent we'll use and making sure there are enough bathrooms for all the guests, while I get to swoop in for the dress-buying, cake-testing and honeymoon-planning.

Over the course of our wedding planning, I have had several ambitious ideas, which I have later, upon coming back to reality, reconsidered. At one point, I planned to make individual jars of jam for each of our 150 or so guests. But rather than risk giving botulism to our friends and family, I've changed my mind on that. I've even considered, at my most ambitious moments, making the groom's cake, but I think my sanity is better served by passing that one up.  It would be a nice touch to do something homemade on a smaller scale -- for the wedding party, for the rehearsal dinner, or something along those lines.  But it's so hard to figure out what would be a beautiful, personal touch, and what would just be a headache for everyone involved (especially, um, me).

If they were not so delicate, and if they were not such a finnicky, tempermental recipe, I would love to recreate my Parisian meringues to incorporate into our celebration.  For now, I will keep brainstorming, eating these lovely little meringues and happily remembering last February.

Cardamom Meringues

INGREDIENTS

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/4 tsp ground cardamom

DIRCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.

Whip the egg whites until thick and foamy. Mix together the sugar, cardamom and cream of tarter, and add the misture gradually. Continue to whip until the mixture forms stiff peaks (you can turn the bowl upside down and nothing falls out).

Bake for 90 minutes to two hours, or until meringues are firmly set.

Makes about 20 meringues.