Meringues

Makes about 80 meringues

Preheat the oven to 225°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat until soft mounds begin to form.
Gradually add the sugar and beat until stiff but still glossy.

If the meringue mixture is dry and cottony or has curdled look, it's overbeaten, and you'll have to start over.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain or star tip and pipe 1 inch kisses or rosettes 1/2 inch apart on the cookie sheets.

For a more rustic look, plop down teaspoonfuls instead of piping.
Bake for 1 hour, rotating the pans and switching shelves halfway through baking.

The original recipe did not specify where the shelves should be. I started the meringues on the middle shelf and finished them on the shelf about one quarter up from the bottom.

I don't think switching shelves matters.
Leave the meringues in the oven another hour to dry out.
Discard any leftover meringue mixture; it will not keep until the first batch is done.

Bucholz, Dinah. The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. Page 197. Avon, Massachusetts: Adams Media, 2010.