INDIVIDUAL MERINGUE SWAN LAKES

Steps:

• For the meringue: Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 200 degrees F.
• Beat the cream of tartar, salt and egg whites in a very clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until thick and opaque, about 1 minute more. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar about 1/4 cup at a time and beat until shiny stiff peaks form, 5 to 10 additional minutes.
• Invert a large baking sheet and top it with a large piece of parchment. Spoon leveled 1/3-cup portions of meringue onto the parchment, leaving ample space between each portion. Use a small offset spatula to smooth each portion of meringue into a 5-inch round.
• Use a 3-tablespoon ice cream scoop to scoop 4 leveled mounds of meringue around the perimeter of each 5-inch round. Use the offset spatula to lightly smooth out the mounds so they touch each other and mimic the look of snow drifts. If needed, use the back of a spoon to create a large divot in the center of the meringue so there is enough room to pour in the creme anglaise later.
• Fit a large pastry bag with a 1/4-inch round tip and scoop the remaining meringue into the bag.
• Invert a second large baking sheet and top it with a piece of parchment. Spread out half of the black sanding sugar onto one corner of the parchment. Pipe one 2 1/2-inch-long by 1 1/2-inch-wide teardrop-shaped mound of meringue for the black swan's body, two 2-inch-long by 1-inch-wide teardrop-shaped mounds for the black swan's wings and one 3-inch S-shaped swan neck with head directly onto the black sanding sugar. Use a wooden toothpick to pull out the top of the head to create a beak. Sprinkle the meringue pieces with the remaining black sanding sugar. Use a pastry brush to brush away the excess sanding sugar, but reserve to use later.
• On the remainder of the parchment, pipe five 2 1/2-inch-long by 1 1/2-inch-wide teardrop-shaped mounds of meringue for the white swans' bodies, ten 2-inch-long by 1-inch-wide teardrop-shaped mounds for the white swans' wings and eight 3-inch S-shaped swan necks with heads (you will have extra heads/necks, in case of breakage). Again, use a wooden toothpick to pull out the top of each head to create a beak. These do not spread much while baking, but leave at least 1/4 inch of space between each piece of meringue.
• Bake both baking sheets of meringue until dry and crisp, 3 to 4 hours. Cool completely on the baking sheets.
• For the creme anglaise: Whisk together the milk, vanilla and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low.
• Whisk together the granulated sugar and egg yolks in a medium bowl until well combined, then whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture. Slowly whisk in the remaining hot milk, then pour the mixture back into the saucepan and continue cooking at a slow simmer, whisking constantly, until the custard thickens to the consistency of thin gravy, 8 to 10 minutes. Strain the sauce into a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until completely chilled.
• For the whipped cream: Put the heavy cream in a medium bowl and whisk vigorously to stiff peaks.
• To assemble: Use a small offset spatula to gently loosen the meringue pieces from the parchment. Transfer the 6 lakes onto individual plates. Spoon 2 leveled tablespoons of the whipped cream onto each swan base. Gently insert a swan head/neck toward the tip of each base, then press 1 set of wings onto the sides of the whipped cream. Repeat this process to build 5 additional meringue swans. There should be 5 white swans and 1 black swan. For the black swan, sprinkle a thick layer of the excess black sanding sugar all over the whipped cream before inserting the head/neck and wings.
• Pour the chilled creme anglaise into the center of each lake, then top each with a swan. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.
• The meringues can be baked up to 1 day in advance (avoid baking in humid weather); keep them overnight in the oven with the oven turned off. The crème anglaise can be made up to 2 days in advance and kept refrigerated. Whip the cream and assemble the swans just before serving.