Discussing the 3 types of meringues commonly used
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Making meringue is not as easy as it looks. Everybody knows the little spiral-shaped white or pink, crunchy and ultra-sweet pastries. They are all cooked through and through. When you follow a couple of crucial but basic steps, you can make them yourself with the added advantage that you can make them with that heavenly gooey, chewy center. You can however mess up the result in the stage of preparation, before baking and/or during the baking process.
Meringue is an old recipe: it dates back roughly 300 years, and originates from Switzerland (according to the Swiss, at least) By now you will find it all over the world: as a treat on itself, as a base or topping of cakes or in deserts. It is gluten-free, and when made correctly, a delicious treat.
There are three ways to make meringue pastry: Easy, Hard, and Super-Hard:
- Easy is French meringue. I have a recipe on this blog [insert link]. This is made by beating egg white and sugar together until the mixture forms soft peaks which are formed and baked. It is also called Dutch meringue and is a bit coarser, and not as sophisticated as the ones below. But who cares. They taste awesome.
- The hard way is Swiss meringue: this is gently beating egg whites and sugar au bain marie: the bowl sits above boiling water, without the bowl touching the water. When the temperature of mixture reaches 130F, you need to take the mixture away from the heat source and beat it quickly to get volume, and then on a lower speed to make sure it is tough and stiff. It is smoother than French meringue, and a perfect base or layer for heavy frostings.
- The Super Hard way is Italian meringue. You whip the egg whites until you have strong peaks, and in the meantime you heat sugar on the stove, and when it reaches 121C or 240F (and this is exact!), you drizzle in the sugar syrup in the bowl containing the egg whites, and beat until it is smooth, stiff and cool. You use this for frostings of cakes or ice cream.
In order to get the egg whites stiff enough, there cannot be any fat in the bowl or on the utensils. Fat, such as oil or butter, or even a pot of egg yolk, will prevent the egg whites from reaching the desired stiffness. You can help the eggs by adding cream of tartar, that will help create and hold the stiffness. Find it here.
You can actually over-beat egg whites. As soon as the egg whites form soft peaks, or you can hold the bowl upside down without the mixture falling, they are done. Over-work the mixture, and you will break up the protein in the mixture, and that cannot be repaired.
Work carefully when you incorporate colors or flavors in the mixture. Fold in additional items, instead of beating. You will want to preserve the little bubbles in the mixture.