US Pastry Chef Finds Substitute for Scarce Eggs

Since avian flu turned eggs into a luxury item, pastry chef Annie Clemmons has spent countless hours in her Maryland workshop, racking her brains about how to replace them in her recipes.

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Silver Spring - Since avian flu turned eggs into a luxury item, pastry chef Annie Clemmons has spent countless hours in her Maryland workshop, racking her brains about how to replace them in her recipes.

"It won't taste like chickpeas," she said as she poured aquafaba - the watery byproduct of the cooked pulses - into the bowl of her electric mixer.

A customer had ordered a meringue-based red fruit pavlova and requested that it be delivered the same day.

Instead of beating egg whites until they are stiff, as in the traditional recipe, Clemmons uses an alternative well known to vegan and egg-intolerant cooks.