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Making Perfect Meringue




Source of Recipe


Melinda Lee


Recipe Introduction


Recently, on the Food News broadcasts, we’ve been discussing Lemon Meringue Pies. A great “trick” has come to our attention from food scientist Shirley O. Corriher (author of Cookwise, from Morrow publishers) which involves beating a cornstarch mixture into the meringue. The result of utilizing this technique is a tender meringue which cuts beautifully and won’t bead or shrink as much, or overcook as a meringue without the cornstarch addition easily (result of overcooking: that puddle of liquid beneath the meringue topping).

Here, I will itemize the 9 most important things to know about making a meringue - then the “science lesson” about why the cornstarch trick works, including the “recipe” for the trick - and finally, I’ll give you the proportions and baking times for both soft meringues (used for topping pies and desserts such as baked Alaskas, and for poaching for use in such desserts as floating islands) and hard meringues (used for making meringue cake layers called dacquoises, and meringue cups and shells - called vacherins.) P.S. The cornstarch-adding method is not needed for hard meringues.



List of Ingredients




PART ONE: 9 TIPS FOR MAKING SUCCESSFUL MERINGUES

1. Make meringue on a cool, dry day, because rainy or humid weather can cause a meringue to soften undesirably.

2. Make sure the bowl and beaters are scrupulously clean. A speck of fat (including egg yolk) can prevent the whites from beating up to full volume - even wet beaters or bowls will prevent proper foaming. Beware of plastic bowls which are very difficult to make grease-free. If a speck of yolk lands in the whites, remove it with the corner of a dry dishtowel, or a smooth-edged piece of egg shell.

3. While it is easiest to separate eggs while they’re cold, the whites must be at room temperature to attain maximum volume; so either allow chilled whites to stand awhile, or put the bowl containing the whites in another bowl containing warm water, and stir occasionally until the whites are slightly warm.

4. Acidity stabilizes egg whites, so add a pinch of cream of tarter at the beginning of beating - some ks add a pinch of salt, as well, which can help the beaten whites to remain firm. You might even rub your bowl and beaters with a cut lemon and a sprinkle of salt - or a paper towel dampened with white vinegar and a pinch of salt - to be sure they are grease free and slightly acidic. (Be sure to dry well before proceeding.)

5. Use a whisk or electric mixer with the largest balloon whip available, and a bowl that is not larger than necessary. The trick is to keep the entire mass of whites in constant movement.

6. Add either granulated or superfine sugar (the latter will dissolve faster) to the whites ONLY AFTER they begin to look fluffy. Too early an addition of sugar will prevent maximum expansion. Add the sugar a spoonful or two at a time, to avoid “clumping” - not too slowly, though, so that it can dissolve before the whites are overbeaten.

7. Make sure that the added sugar is completely dissolved: pinch some meringue between thumb and fingers - if you can feel the granules, it hasn’t all dissolved yet. Undissolved sugar will make those little golden “tears” on the top of the cooked meringue. Try to add the sugar gradually - but fast enough so that you don’t have to overbeat the whites to achieve its dissolution. When you can tilt the bowl, and the mass of meringue doesn’t slide down the sides of the bowl, it’s beaten enough. (It’s never going to be as thick as whipped cream!)

8. If the beaten whites look dry (and are overbeaten) and seem grainy, and/or liquid-y on the bottom - try beating in about 3/4 of one fresh egg white. If that doesn’t work - stop and start again with fresh whites, and clean bowl and beaters.

9. Add vanilla, lemon zest or other flavorings just at the very end of beating, so they don’t interfere with the achievement of proper texture.



PART TWO: THE AMAZING MERINGUE TRICK

Starch prevents egg whites from over-coagulating. Its addition provides all the benefits to the finished product that are enumerated above. To add starch (in this case, cornstarch) we must first prepare it. Here’s why:

The (essential ingredient) sugar in meringues grabs the moisture (water) from the foam, which is the action that permits the foam to set:

First, the sugar dissolves in the water, and makes a sort of syrupy coating on the network of proteins (the part of the egg whites that isn’t water). Then, in the oven, the water evaporates and the proteins are left covered with a fine, dry powdery sugar. The meringue is set. [You must use about 2 tablespoons, sugar per egg white (no less than 1 1/2 tablespoons) for best stability.] This coating, drying and firming action is why you can’t get a meringue to set without sugar.

Because all the water from the egg whites is tied up in the sugar, the cornstarch must be dissolved in water & heated before beating it into the meringue.



For a 6 egg white meringue, you'll need:

1 tablespoon, cornstarch
1/3 cup, cool water

Sprinkle the cornstarch into a small pan, add the cool water, and allow to stand for 1 minute - then stir well. Bring the water and cornstarch to a boil, stirring constantly. The mixture will be thick and slightly cloudy.

Allow the mixture to cool for a couple of minutes, then whisk 1-2 tablespoons of it into the almost-completely-beaten egg whites. Continue adding the cornstarch mixture, beating constantly, until all is incorporated. Whisk in salt, vanilla, and any other flavorings you’ve selected (such as lemon zest) and set aside to place on pie filling when ready.



PART THREE: SOFT AND HARD MERINGUES

To make a soft meringue (see uses, above) use 2 tablespoons, sugar for each egg white, a pinch (1/8 n) for each 3 egg whites, and follow the 9 tips listed above. Soft meringues are baked at 350 or 400 (preheated) degrees for about 10-15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

To make hard meringues (see uses above) twice as much sugar is used: 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) per egg white. The beating method is the same a in the 9 tips above - but the result is piped or spooned onto baking sheets into desired shapes, or into pie plates (if used as pie crusts).

Baking sheets are buttered and floured or lined with parchment or Silpat. The shapes are baked in preheated ovens at 275 degrees for about 60-65 minutes, or until firm and crisp. [Cook’s Note: Some recipes call for baking hard meringues at 225 degrees for 1 ½ hours or so.] They may be left in the turned-off oven, with the door ajar, for 30-45 minutes or overnight, to completely dry them. Baked meringue shells should be white - but a little golden color is not a disaster. They should not, however, be allowed to brown.

Cool dry meringues on a rack. If they stick to the parchment paper, moisten the paper ON THE UNDERSIDE with a wet sponge, and they should lift right off.

Note: meringue shells sometimes crack when cooling; the filling and/or topping will hide this.


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