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1
Put the egg whites in a bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk just until firm peaks form.
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2
Add the sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking after each addition.
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3
Fold in the lemon zest, vanilla and almonds carefully so as not to lose volume.
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4
Fill the piping bag with the mixture.
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5
Pipe the meringue into mini (candy size) paper cups, you may set them in mini muffin cups or set straight onto the baking sheets.
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6
Bake in a preheated oven at 120u00b0C (250u00b0F) Gas 1/2 for 30 minutes.
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7
Increase the heat to 140u00b0C (275u00b0F) Gas 1 for a further 20 minutes.
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8
Remove from the oven, let cool on a wire rack and serve in their paper cases with a bowl of whipped cream.
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9
VARIATION: This mixture can be made into cookies or almendrados. Double the amount of almonds, and grind them to a fine powder in a spice grinder or coffee mill. Drop heaped teaspoons onto greased baking sheets and cook in a preheated oven at 140u00b0C (275u00b0F) Gas 1 for 15 minutes. They will be soft when they come out of the oven, but firm up when cold.
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10
NOTE: Vanilla paste is found in larger supermarkets, often in the gourmet food department. If you can't find it, use the seeds from 1 vanilla pod.
