I’ve been having way too much fun the last few weeks developing and shooting the photos for this post. As an early birthday present, Omar bought me a mirrorless camera with a macro lens – a SERIOUS upgrade from the secondhand DSLR and kit lens I have been shooting on. I feel like a 16 year old who was just gifted a Ferrari – like maybe I’m not quite equipped to be trusted with such an awesome toy, but super excited to be taking it for a spin! The recipe I’m sharing with you today was an absolute dream to photograph with a macro (close focusing) lens. There are so many colorful and texturally interesting aspects to these crunchy, chewy sweets!
This recipe was inspired by one of my favorite ways to have coffee. Turkish coffee is such a treat and an opportunity to slow down and savor a break from the daily grind. It must be prepared to order by boiling very finely ground coffee very slowly until the finest particles rise to the top and create a lovely layer of coffee foam while the larger particles gently settle to the bottom. Because you don’t want to agitate the grounds back into the coffee before drinking (which would be gritty and unpleasant), it’s always taken without milk and any sugar (usually a lot) is added before boiling. Many brands are sold with added cardamom for flavor and aroma. For me, the best part of the Turkish coffee ritual is the piece of chewy, rose-flavored Turkish delight served to nibble on between sips. The floral notes of the sweet confection balance the bracing bitterness of the coffee.
I thought it would be fun to keep the same flavors of the traditional Turkish coffee set but flip the textures by making a chewy coffee meringue topped with a crunchy Turkish delight praline. Meringue is a pretty fussy sweet, and I’m embarrassed to tell you how many eggs went into developing the final recipe (and how many batches ended up in the bin). I first tried whipping instant coffee and espresso granules with the egg whites – but that resulted in a gritty texture when the granules failed to dissolve, and wasn’t the most pleasant color for little piles of meringue (use your imagination). I tried brewed coffee in small amounts – but couldn’t find a balance between just enough to provide a strong coffee flavor without deflating the egg whites. Finally, I tried just folding straight Turkish coffee grounds through the whipped meringue – and that was the winner!
I topped the meringues with a rose and pistachio praline, which also took a few iterations to perfect. Praline is usually made by boiling sugar with a small amount of liquid to a caramelization stage. Because I wanted to keep the brilliant pink color of rose Turkish delight, I couldn’t let the sugar caramelize too far, which resulted in several failed gummy and matte batches. I finally cracked the code by going low and slow and watching like a hawk and was rewarded with a shiny, brilliant pink candy that was insanely fun to smash into smaller pieces and photograph. You will have plenty left over, and my husband discovered it is also delicious as an ice cream topping – so not a tragedy by any means!
I am a huge fan of chewy, sticky sweets – marshmallows, jelly beans, gummy candy, licorice, all of that – so it goes without saying that I like my meringues crisp on the outside and chewy in the center. If you prefer them crisp and airy, bake for a bit longer and eat them soon after baking. The longer they are stored, the more they will absorb moisture from the air and become a bit chewy – at which point, feel free to send them my way if they are too far gone for you. 🙂
And I’ll end with some more of this pink praline – I can’t get enough!
Turkish coffee meringues with rose pistachio praline
Ingredients
- 175g white sugar, divided
- 2 tbsp slivered pistachios* (see notes)
- 1 tbsp rose water
- 1/2 tbsp water
- red or pink food coloring or gel
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tbsp turkish coffee** (see notes)
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom** (optional – if your coffee does not have cardamom – see notes)
Directions
- Start by making the praline. Spread the pistachios evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Place 50g of the sugar in a small heavy saucepan along with the rose water and water. To make the praline pink, I added just one small drop of red food coloring; you might need to play around with the amounts if you are using a pink coloring or gel. Stir the mixture over medium-low heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Once it starts to simmer, reduce heat to low and let simmer without stirring for approximately 5 minutes. Watch it very closely – it will start to deepen in color slightly as the syrup concentrates, but don’t let it go a full shade darker or you’ll risk a muddy color and a burnt flavor, you may need more or less time depending on your stove.
- Remove the pot from heat and immediately pour over the pistachios. Tilt the pan to spread the sugar syrup into a 1/4-inch layer and set aside to harden.
- Now make the meringues. Preheat the oven to 275F with the rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat until soft peaks form, then begin adding the sugar in 4 batches, beating well after each addition until shiny and creamy.
- If your coffee doesn’t have cardamom, mix the cardamom with the coffee in a small bowl. Sift over the egg-sugar mixture and gently fold in using just 3-4 strokes. You want to see distinct stripes of coffee in a mostly white meringue, it’s ok if some of the coffee is unincorporated.
- Using two spoons, scoop the meringue into balls on the prepared baking sheet, swirling to create the desired effect. They will pretty much bake how you shape them at this stage, so be sure you are happy with how they look at this point.
- Use a mallet to break up the praline into shards and small pieces. Sprinkle the praline onto half of each meringue.
- Bake for 90 minutes (for chewy meringues) or 2 hours (for crispy meringues). At a minimum they should sound hollow when they are tapped on the bottoms. Turn the oven off and prop open the door (you can use a wooden spoon if yours won’t stay propped open) and let meringues cool down from inside the oven.
- Baked meringues will keep in an airtight container for 5 days. They will lose some of their crunch over time, which isn’t a terrible thing (see above)!
- Most Middle Eastern sweets, including turkish delight, use “nibbed”, or sliveredm pistachios, which are raw, unsalted, and have had the rough brown husk removed, revealing their brilliant green color. I’ve never been able to find them at any US grocery chains; your best bet is an online retailer or a well-stocked Middle Eastern, Persian, or Indian grocery. You can use any shelled pistachios in a pinch but they will look a little different.
- Turkish coffee can be found in Middle Eastern, European, or Persian groceries, you can either buy a brand with cardamom or without; if your coffee doesn’t have cardamom you can add your own. If you can’t find Turkish coffee pre-ground, you can grind your own from whole beans on the finest setting of a burr coffee grinder.
Congratulations on the new camera! Bravo on both the food and the photos! Both look amazing!
Thanks so much Thomas! That means a lot coming from a photographer 🙂