These little “white kisses” are very light and not too sweet. The key to success is to refrigerate them for the right amount of time. After about an hour in the refrigerator, the whipped cream will have softened the center of the meringues, but not the outsides, so you’ll have a crunchy-chewy kiss. If you leave them much longer, the meringues will turn sticky.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 16 drops

　　1 large egg white, at room temperature

　　2 tablespoons sugar

　　1/4 cup heavy cream

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 150° F, or the lowest setting possible. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

　　

Step 2

Beat the egg white in a small bowl with a wire whisk until foamy. As you continue beating, add the sugar gradually, until the meringue holds stiff and glossy peaks when the whisk is lifted from them. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a star tip and pipe onto the prepared baking sheet to form 3/4-inch rounds. (If you don’t have a pastry bag, drop the beaten whites by the slightly rounded teaspoonful, keeping the little mounds as high as possible.) Bake until the meringues are completely dry and very light, about 2 1/2 hours. Cool completely.

　　

Step 3

Pour the cream into a small, chilled bowl. Beat with a wire whisk or an electric mixer until the cream holds stiff peaks. Spoon about 1 teaspoon of the whipped cream onto the flat side of one of the meringues. Press the flat side of a second meringue gently onto the cream to make a meringue sandwich. Repeat with the remaining meringues and cream. Chill the meringue drops on a serving plate in the refrigerator 1 hour before serving.

　　From Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright © 2001 by A La Carte Communications and Tutti a Tavola, LLC. Published by arrangement with Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of The Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.Buy the full book from Amazon.