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Focus on the Meringues

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What is a MeringueWhat is a Meringue

Confection or Cake Based on egg whites and sugar, never

yolks• An egg white foam stabilized by sugar

• Delicate mixture

• Session 2:• Used to aerate mixtures like mousses

• Used to leaven by trapping air in a baked item (i.e. soufflés)

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Making a Meringue

Clean and grease-free utensil Egg whites only Bowl and a balloon whisk or whip

attachment Whip white to soft peak or to 4x volume Add sugar gradually Whip until not gritty but shiny and wet

Acids help

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Types of Meringues

French or commonSwissItalian

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French or Common Meringue

Whites are whipped up and sugar is slowly added

Generally not very stable Must be cooked further Hard or soft: ratio of sugar to

whites, page 413 Pipe and bake: what temp.???

Classic Australian Dessert: Pavlova

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Swiss Meringue Egg whites and sugar are heated together to 140˚ F

Meringue is then whipped to the desired peak

Heating makes the whites more elastic and allows the sugar to dissolve

Why is this meringue is “egg safe”?

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Italian Meringue

Hot (~245 F) sugar syrup is poured over the whipping whites• May not be egg safe if

only a small amount of sugar is added

Stable As topping, as aerator

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Other Uses of Meringue:

As a cakeAs a layer

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Dijonnaise(Japonaise)

Light, crisp almond meringue

Named after Dijon, • capital of Burgundy,

France

Layered with filling or serve as a layer in a cake

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Succès like meringue but cake-like texture with high % ground almond.

Progrès same but with hazelnut.

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Dacquoise

A nut meringue cake filled with cream:

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Lab:

Make Pavlova Make nut meringue stacked napoleon

dessert Make filling(s) for Pavlova and nut

meringue and assemble.