Vanilla Meringues

• 2 egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 pinches cream of tartar
• 18 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped from pod; or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar.

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Use an electric mixer to beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt and vanilla.
3. When whites begin to hold stiff peaks, gradually add half the sugar.
4. When peaks become glossy, gently fold in remaining sugar.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and use a pastry bag with a star tip or a Ziploc bag with a corner cut out to form small mounds of meringue mixture, each about an inch wide and tall.
6. Bake meringues until hard, about 2 hours.
7. Meringues are ready when they release from parchment paper.
8. Turn oven off, prop door open and allow meringues to sit in oven for another hour or so.

egg whites, cream of tartar, salt, vanilla bean, sugar

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015821 (may not work)