Ingredients

Merengue (makes 8 mini merengues):

• 4 egg whites, room temperature
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 cup superfine white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce

Salted Caramel Sauce (makes ~1 cup):

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
• 2/3 cup Alta Dena® heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

How to

For merengues:

1. Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place the egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form
2. Gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking for 30 seconds before adding more. Do not rush this step. Beat until the mixture is thick, shiny, and increased in volume. The mixture should have stiff peaks and the sugar should be completely dissolved
3. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Spoon the meringue mixture onto the tray in 8 piles, leaving space between each one. Use the back of a spoon to swoop the merengue down a bit, creating some texture and divots on top for the caramel to pool in
4. Drizzle each meringue with 1-2 teaspoons of caramel sauce
5. Bake for 75 minutes. If you notice the meringues browning during baking, lower the oven temperature by 25 degrees. After 75 minutes, turn oven off. Let meringues cool inside the oven before serving

For salted caramel sauce:

1. To make caramel, gently stir sugar and water together in a medium heavy-bottomed pot until it looks like wet sand. Do not stir from this point forward
2. Cover with a fitted lid and cook over medium heat until the sugar around the edges of the pot starts to turn brown; this could take up to 10 minutes (it’s okay to take the lid off to check it periodically)
3. Remove lid and continue to cook, swirling the saucepan frequently to encourage even browning, until the sugar turns a rich amber color similar to maple syrup (5 to 10 minutes more)
4. Remove from heat. Quickly and carefully (the mixture will foam up) whisk in the butter one piece at a time until melted
5. Slowly pour in the cream and whisk until the caramel is smooth. Whisk in salt. Let cool 10 minutes before using on meringues.