Sinking Meringues

Our answer

Meringues and pavlovas, such as Nigella's Mini Pavlovas (from Domestic Goddess and on the Nigella website) should not really rise that much when being baked. There is air in the whisked egg whites that will expand a little, but this will be fairly moderate and even. The egg whites should be whisked to soft peak stage before the sugar is whisked in gradually. To check for soft peak stage lift the whisk from the bowl; the whites on the whisk should form a peak with a top that slightly flops over.

From the description we would suspect that the meringue is either being over-whisked or not whisked enough. If the egg whites are over-whisked they will look dry and rather like cotton wool. It is more difficult for the whites to hold air and the meringue will be flat. If the egg whites are under-whisked it is usually because there are traces of fat either in the whites or on the equipment used to whisk the whites. Fat will prevent the whites from achieving a good volume when they are whisked. Make sure there are no traces of yolk in the egg whites. Also make sure the bowl and whisk are really clean and grease-free. If in doubt wipe the bowl and whisk with a few drops of lemon juice before using.