Meringue

ingredients

• 4 large organic egg whites , at room temperature
• 115g caster sugar
• 115g icing sugar

Preheat the oven to fan 100C/ conventional 110C/gas 1⁄4. Line 2 baking sheets with Bake-O-Glide non-stick liner or parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).

Tip the egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl (not plastic). Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.

Now turn the speed up and start to add the caster sugar, a dessertspoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition.

It's important to add the sugar slowly at this stage as it helps prevent the meringue from weeping later. However, don't over-beat. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy.

Sift a third of the icing sugar over the mixture, then gently fold it in with a big metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in the icing sugar a third at a time. Again, don't over-mix. The mixture should now look smooth and billowy, almost like a snow drift.

Scoop up a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture. Using another dessertspoon, ease it on to the baking sheet to make an oval shape (pic 3). Or just drop them in rough rounds, if you prefer. Bake for 1 1⁄2-1 3⁄4 hours in a fan oven, 1 1⁄4 hours in a conventional or gas oven, until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour. Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack. (The meringues will now keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for a month.) Serve two meringues sandwiched together with a generous dollop of softly whipped double cream.

Confectioners or powdered sugar - In Britain it is called icing sugar and in France sucre glace.

Perfect Meringues

The Basics

• Use a clean, dry bowl. The bowl must be grease-free, because any trace amount of fat will wreck a meringue. Glass, ceramic, stainless steel, and copper bowls are all suitable. Plastic bowls may appear clean, but may still have trace amounts of oil, so do not use them.
• Cold eggs separate easily, but eggs whip to a higher volume when at room temperature. The solution is to separate the cold eggs, and then set them aside for 10 or 15 minutes.
• Separate each egg into two small bowls, one for the white and one for the yolk, and then add the white portion to the larger bowl. This allows you to reserve any with broken yolks for another purpose. Even a small amount of yolk can deflate the egg whites, so be careful.

Basic Meringue

Cream of tartar, white vinegar, or lemon juice can all be used to stabilize a meringue.

• Add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar per egg white to the unbeaten eggs. (If you're using a copper bowl to make your meringue, don't add any acid: it can react with the copper and discolor the egg foam.)
• Whip to medium-soft peaks. Beat in 2 tablespoons white sugar per egg white. Continue to beat until egg whites are glossy and hold a firm peak.
• Adding sugar early in the beating process results in a firmer, finer-textured meringue.

Italian Meringues
Italian meringues are made with a sugar syrup. Sugar and water are boiled to the soft-ball stage (240 degrees F/115 degrees C) and carefully poured in a thin stream into a mixer bowl of whipped egg whites. The mixture is whipped until cool. Because of the constant whipping, the bowl cools quickly, and the egg whites may not reach pasteurization temperature; you can use an instant read thermometer to check the meringue's temperature after the first minute or so of whipping. Individuals with compromised immune systems should take care not to consume undercooked egg whites.

Swiss Meringues

Swiss meringues are made by combining sugar and egg whites and heating them over a double boiler.

• To prepare a Swiss meringue, whisk the sugar and egg whites enough to break up the whites, but not so vigorously that they form an airy foam.
• The sugar will melt and act as a protective shield against coagulation of the egg whites; heat and whisk constantly until the temperature of the whites reaches 145 degrees F or hotter.
• Remove the bowl from the heat, and beat the warm egg whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks.

The Biggest Mistakes When Making Meringue

Eggs at the wrong temperature Separate eggs while they are cold, but beat the egg whites when they are at room temperature. You just need to wait about 30 minutes

Using the wrong kind of mixing bowl Metal or glass mixing bowls are best for yielding voluminous beaten egg whites. Plastic can retain fat and grease, which inhibits the volume of the egg whites. Whichever type of bowl you use, be sure it’s spotlessly clean

Specks of yolk in the egg whites Any trace of yolk will ruin your meringue. Resist the temptation to dip a finger in to get it out. Some people use a piece of bread or a cotton-bud tip to remove the yolk. But honestly, it’s best to discard that egg. For this reason, separate eggs into a small bowl first, and add the egg whites individually to the bigger mixing bowl. That way, if a yolk slips through, you need only discard one egg white, not the whole batch

Adding sugar too quickly Sugar needs to be added tablespoon by tablespoon at the soft-peak stage. This is laborious, but don’t be tempted to add the whole lot at once. Undissolved sugar attracts moisture, which can ruin your meringue. Superfine sugar dissolves more quickly

Eggs not beaten to stiff peaks Soft peaks are fine for a pie topping, but for a dessert base such as a pavlova, you need stiff, glossy peaks

Oven too hot You need a low temperature to ensure the gradual evaporation of moisture from the meringue. If the oven is too hot, the outside will be crunchy and browned and the center will be sticky and chewy

Meringue removed too soon from the oven Allow the meringue to remain in the oven after baking. This helps dry it out

Making meringues on a humid day Try and avoid this if possible. The sugar in the meringue attracts moisture and makes it chewy. It may take longer for the meringue to bake and dry out in the oven, too

 

 

http://buttersugarflour.com/2008/03/mocha-meringues/

• http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2445/ultimate-meringue