Meringue Tips
Source of Recipe
internet
Recipe Link: http://www.aeb.com Soft (Pie) Meringue and Hard (Swiss) Meringues
Note: Use amounts and instructions in brackets [ ] for hard meringues
1. For 9-inch pie meringue [or 1 (9-inch) or 8 (3-inch) hard-meringue shell/s], in small mixing bowl at high speed, beat 3 egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar until foamy
2. Add 6 tablespoons [3/4 cup] sugar, 1 [2] tablespoon/s at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy and stand in soft [stiff] peaks.
3. Lift beater/s. Egg whites should be glossy. Soft peaks should curl at tips. [Stiff peaks should stand straight and tall.]
4. Rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar has dissolved. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
5. For soft (pie) meringue, spread meringue over hot pie filling, starting with small amounts at edges and sealing to crust all around. Cover pie with remaining meringue, spreading evenly in attractive swirls. Bake in preheated 350° F oven until peaks are lightly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving.
6. For hard meringue/s, with spoon or pastry bag, spread mixture over bottom and up sides of greased 9-inch pie plate. OR, on lightly greased or lined (foil or waxed, brown or parchment paper) baking sheet, shape into 1 (9-inch) nest. OR, using about 1/3 cup of the meringue for each, shape into 8 (3-inch) nests. Build up edges to form rims.
7. Bake in preheated 225° F oven until firm and cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven. Let stand in oven with door closed until cool, dry and crisp, at least 1 additional hour. (Do not remove shell from pie plate.) Store in tightly sealed container. Fill as desired just before serving.Bake until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes for cups or about 35 to 40 minutes for casserole. Remove promptly from hot water. Cool on wire rack about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate and chill thoroughly to serve cold.
To poach Soft Meringue: In large saucepan or skillet, bring milk or water to simmering. Drop meringue mixture by spoonsful onto milk, leaving space between spoonsful. (Meringue expands as it cooks. Poach in batches, if necessary.) Simmer, uncovered, until firm, about 5 minutes. Smaller spoonsful will not need to be turned over, but larger ones may require turning halfway through the cooking time. With slotted spoon, remove meringues from milk and drain on paper towels. Serve or chill until ready to serve. (The milk may be used to make a stirred custard.)
Note for Hard Meringues: The oven temperature and time given here will produce crisp, white meringues. For a Pavlova or Schaum Torte with a more chewy inside texture, reduce baking time. After baking about 45 to 55 minutes, judge texture by testing occasionally with cake tester or wooden pick inserted into side of meringue. When baked to your liking, check with thermometer to be sure that meringue has reached 160 F. Dry as above.
For lightly browned meringue, increase temperature to 250° F. Bake until delicately browned and cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Dry as above
General Meringue Tips
1. Although egg white does not readily support bacterial growth – especially when a great deal of sugar is present, it is possible for Salmonella to be in either the white or yolk of an egg. Many meringue-based desserts require refrigeration to maintain their character, a safety factor, and these dishes may be considered low risk for healthy people. However, for full safety, it’s best to cook both yolks and whites in all recipes.
2. You can use a method similar to that used for Seven-Minute Frosting to update old recipes calling for raw or very lightly cooked egg whites or meringues, such as Royal Icing, mousses, chiffon pies, sweet soufflés and ice box cakes and for Baked Alaska and similar dishes that are only very briefly baked. Use this method with any number of egg whites.
3. To cook egg whites: In heavy saucepan, top of double boiler or metal bowl placed over water in a saucepan, stir together the egg whites and sugar from the recipe (at least 2 tablespoons per white), water (1 teaspoon per white) and cream of tartar (1/8 teaspoon per each 2 whites). Cook over low heat or simmering water, beating constantly with portable mixer at low speed, until the whites reach 160° F. Pour into large mixing bowl. Beat on high speed until the whites stand in soft peaks. Proceed with the recipe.
4. Note that sugar must be used or the whites will coagulate too rapidly and produce an unsatisfactory end product and a thermometer must be employed as there is no visual clue to doneness. If using an unlined aluminum saucepan, eliminate the cream of tartar as it will react with the aluminum to produce an unattractive gray meringue.
5. The recipe for Soft (Pie) Meringue here was tested in a scientific lab. After baking as directed, all injected bacteria perished. Since it is not possible to lab test every conceivable meringue recipe, all other recipes should be cooked until the whites reach 160° F.
6. Italian meringue, also called Boiled Frosting, is made by beating a hot sugar syrup into egg whites and is used, as is, as a cake frosting or topping like soft meringue; folded into whipped cream (Chantilly Meringue) for use as a frosting or combined with fruit as a cream puff filling; or baked or poached as other forms of meringue. In most cases, however, neither using warmed sugar nor using a sugar syrup to make an Italian Meringue is a suitable substitute for the fully cooked method. No matter how hot the sugar, it’s the egg whites that must reach 160° F for total destruction of any potential bacteria to occur. By the time a very hot sugar syrup is fully incorporated into beaten whites, the whites seldom reach much over 125° F and recipes that are not further cooked cannot be considered completely safe. If, however, the sugar syrup is brought all the way to the hardball stage – 250 to 266° F, the whites will reach sufficient temperature. Use a sugar syrup at hardball stage for Divinity and similar recipes.
7. The most critical factor in making a successful meringue is humidity. Make it on a dry day. Since sugar is hygroscopic (moisture-absorbing), meringues made on a humid day can become limp and sticky.
8. Use a mixing bowl large enough to hold the expanding whites which will increase in volume 6 to 8 times, but not so large that the whites are spread too thin and wide in the bowl. The bowl should be deep enough for the beaters to be in contact with as much of the whites as possible. For proper aeration, a small mixing bowl is best for up to 3 whites, a large mixing bowl for 4 or more.
9. In making meringues, separate eggs, choose beating equipment and add acid to the whites and salt to other ingredients as you would for soufflés. Savory Soufflé Tips.
10. For optimum volume and faster beating, add sugar between the beginnings of foam formation and soft peak formation. Adding some or all of the sugar before beating will decrease volume.
11. The recipes here are written for regular granulated sugar but you can use any size of sugar crystal as well as brown sugar. When substituting, 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar or 1 cup superfine sugar both equal 1 cup granulated sugar, while 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar equals 1 cup granulated. Light brown sugar is simply half dark brown and half granulated sugar.
12. While finer sugars may dissolve more readily and more quickly and will produce a smoother, glossier meringue than coarser sugars, they will also produce one of less volume. Finer sugars must still be added slowly and the meringue mixture beaten to the proper stage. Be very cautious when adding very fine sugars. They have a tendency to float in the air and it’s easy to end up with more sugar on the chef than in the meringue. Confectioners’ sugar contains cornstarch and may produce a slightly drier meringue.
13. With the exception of corn syrups, you can also use syrups and honey which will impart their own flavors and colors to the meringue. Use about 1 tablespoon per egg white and expect to beat longer and to obtain a greater volume than with a sugar-sweetened meringue. Due to the added moisture of the syrup, though, the meringue will be slightly more frothy and will have a greater tendency to leak.
14. Using a portable or stand mixer at high speed, or a rotary beater or balloon whisk and lots of elbow grease, beat the whites with the cream of tartar just till foamy. Then, gradually add the sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and beat until soft or stiff peaks form. Lift the beater/s or whisk to test. When the whites turn glossy and their tips curl over slightly, they’re at the soft peak stage; when the peaks stand tall without bending, they’re at the stiff peak stage. For a smooth, rather than gritty, meringue, test to see that the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a bit of the meringue between your fingers. Undissolved sugar can cause sugar spots on the surface of the meringue.
15. With the amount of added sugar, the beating for meringues takes longer than for unsweetened whites. Using a mixer is much easier for those of average arm strength and endurance. Neither a blender nor a food processor will aerate the whites properly.
Soft (Pie) Meringue Tips
For preparation, General Meringue Tips
1. To minimize weeping, the accumulation of liquid between the meringue and the pie filling or pudding, spread the meringue on when the filling is hot. And, to prevent the meringue from shrinking as it bakes, spread the meringue so it touches the crust or the edges of the dish all around.
2. If using more than 3 egg whites, use 2 tablespoons sugar per white and 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar per each 2 whites, lower the baking temperature and increase the time so the meringue will reach 160° F without excessive browning. For a few egg whites more, 325° F for 25 to 30 minutes works well; for many more than 3 egg whites, 300° F or an even longer time at 325° F may be necessary.
3. Although 2 tablespoons sugar per egg white is considered the most satisfactory for soft meringues, from 1 to 3 tablespoons may be used. The more sugar used and the more coarse the sugar, the more difficult it will be to dissolve it in the egg whites and the less tendency to brown. In either case, beat until soft peaks form.
4. When baked as a topping, a billowy meringue can add a welcome sweet counterpoint to a tart fruit-filled pie, give textural interest to a smooth cream pie or lend high-rising class to a homespun rice or bread pudding. When poached in dollops and served with a custard or fruit sauce, meringues become Floating Islands or Oeufs a la Neige (Snow Eggs).
Hard (Swiss) Meringue Tips
For preparation, General Meringue Tips
1. Hard, or Swiss, meringue is usually made with 4 tablespoons sugar per egg white and is beaten until stiff peaks form.
2. You can bake hard meringues on a baking sheet lightly greased with unsalted shortening, butter or oil, or lined with waxed, brown or parchment paper or foil. American Egg Board testing has found meringues stick least on sheets coated with paper or foil and that both shortening and butter are preferable to oil, though any of these may be used. Nonstick surfaces do require lining or greasing.
3. To form practical or fanciful shapes, pipe meringue with a pastry bag or gently shape it with a spoon or spatula. With minimal shaping, you can also simply bake hard meringue in a lightly greased pie plate, cake pan or springform pan.
4. Hard meringues are not actually baked, but are dried in a 225° F oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. They then spend at least another hour basking in the heat with the oven off – a process which keeps them from browning. While generally baked until crisp and dry throughout, a shorter baking time will produce a more chewy, marshmallow-like center. For a light golden hue, bake at 250° F until the center reaches 160° F and is chewy or crisp, as you like. Oven-baked meringues turn golden brown at the tips; microwaved meringues remain white. Both are fluffy, tender, glossy and smooth with a fine-grained texture.
5. Fully baked hard meringues may be stored for months in a tightly sealed container with waxed paper between any layers. If they should lose crispness, bake in a preheated 250° F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
6. In hard meringues, egg whites robe pure sugar in a mantle of respectability. To keep them from being cloying to the average sweet tooth, hard meringues are often most successfully served with tart fruits or fruit-flavored fillings, such as Key lime pie filling or lemon curd. A puffy hard meringue has a relatively smooth but crisp crust with little to no browning from the long, slow baking process. The interior may be crisp or creamy/chewy as a marshmallow depending on the meringue’s size and the length of baking. If you bake hard meringue until crisp and dry, it forms an Angel Pie when made in a pie plate or becomes Forgotten Cookies or Meringue Kisses when dropped from a spoon. You can also form hard-meringue into a pie-crust shape or tart shells to hold fruit or pudding. When you bake hard meringue in a cake or springform pan just until the outside becomes crisp, but the inside is still creamy/chewy and then top it with fruit and whipped cream, it becomes Pavlova or Schaum Torte. Just as for soft (pie) meringue, you can also poach hard meringue to make Floating Islands.
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