Crispy On The Outside, Soft On The Inside: How To Make The Perfect Meringue?

Meringue (or meringue) is an incredibly delicate dessert made from egg whites with sugar, which is translated from French as “kiss”.

Meringue (or meringue) is an incredibly delicate dessert made from egg whites with sugar, which is translated from French as “kiss”. Meringue is also called “Spanish wind” or “meringue of love”.

Meringue is served for dessert as an independent dish, supplemented with berries, fruits, cream or used as a decoration for cakes, pastries and other sweets.

In cooking, there are three types of meringue:

1. French meringue. This is an excellent basis for making fluffy biscuit cake and airy cream. It's simple: beat the chilled egg whites with a pinch of salt until fluffy foam, then add sugar or powdered sugar in portions and beat.

2. Swiss meringue. Egg white is combined with sugar and beaten, heated in a water bath. This meringue is great for layering and decorating cakes or cookies.

3. Italian meringue. This type of meringue differs from the French one in that it is not sugar that is added to the whipped proteins, but freshly boiled sugar syrup. The syrup is poured in hot, in a thin stream and beaten until the meringue has cooled. Italian meringue is used to make mousses and decorate cakes and desserts. Filling eclairs and wafer rolls with such cream is a pleasure.

Basic rules to follow when preparing meringue:

Eggs should be at room temperature (20-25 degrees) and no more than a week old. After taking the eggs out of the refrigerator and separating the whites from the yolks, let them stand for 30 minutes and only then beat. Or just put a cold egg in a pot of warm water for 5-10 minutes and then start cooking. When separating the proteins from the yolks, be sure to make sure that even the smallest part of the yolk does not get to the protein, otherwise the meringue will not work. It is important to beat the whites in a dry and perfectly clean bowl. We recommend adding powdered sugar to proteins instead of sugar. So the mass will be exactly homogeneous, there will be no grains of sugar, which can subsequently spoil the look of the finished product, forming caramel droplets on the finished product. By the way, sugar can be turned into powdered sugar using a coffee grinder. First, beat the whites into foam (you need to start beating at a low speed of the mixer) and only then add sugar or powdered sugar, without ceasing to beat. It is very important not to add sugar immediately. To prevent the mass from losing its volume over time, add lemon juice at the very end (1/2 tsp per 1 protein) and whisk again. If you are preparing meringue according to a recipe that requires the addition of flour, starch or nuts, then be sure to sift the flour with starch several times, and fry the nuts and grind them almost into flour. To check the readiness of the whipped proteins, turn the bowl with the contents over, the mass should remain in the bowl. To bake, place the baking sheet with the meringue in the oven higher so that the meringue does not burn from below. So that the mass does not lose its volume over time, add lemon juice at the very end (1/2 tsp per 1 protein) and whisk again. If you are preparing meringue according to a recipe that requires the addition of flour, starch or nuts, then be sure to sift the flour with starch several times, and fry the nuts and grind them almost into flour. To check the readiness of the whipped proteins, turn the bowl with the contents over, the mass should remain in the bowl. To bake, place the baking sheet with the meringue in the oven higher so that the meringue does not burn from below. So that the mass does not lose its volume over time, add lemon juice at the very end (1/2 tsp per 1 protein) and whisk again. If you are preparing meringue according to a recipe that requires the addition of flour, starch or nuts, then be sure to sift the flour with starch several times, and fry the nuts and grind them almost into flour. To check the readiness of the whipped proteins, turn the bowl with the contents over, the mass should remain in the bowl. To bake, place the baking sheet with the meringue in the oven higher so that the meringue does not burn from below. turn the bowl over with the contents, the mass should remain in the bowl. To bake, place the baking sheet with the meringue in the oven higher so that the meringue does not burn from below. turn the bowl over with the contents, the mass should remain in the bowl. To bake, place the baking sheet with the meringue in the oven higher so that the meringue does not burn from below.

Bugs and fixes:

If your meringue is flat and cake-like, it's because of poorly beaten egg whites. If the inside of the meringue is not crunchy or stretchy, the meringue is not cooked through or the cooking temperature is too high.

french meringue

 

To prepare a tender and crispy meringue, you need:

Egg white - 2 pcs.; Powdered sugar - 120 g; Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp

Put the whites in a bowl, add lemon juice and half the powdered sugar. Start whipping at low speed, smoothly move to the maximum.

After 4-5 minutes, add the remaining powdered sugar and beat for another 10 minutes. The mass should be thick, shiny and without lumps.

Place the meringue on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and place in the oven preheated to 100 degrees for 1 hour.

Meringue without eggs

 

Yes, yes, a wonderful meringue recipe without eggs.

You will need:

Liquid from canned peas or aquafaba - 100 ml; Sugar - 180 g; Citric acid -–1/3 tsp; Vanilla sugar - 1 tsp; Salt - a pinch.

Beat the liquid from the peas at the highest speed of the mixer for 5 minutes.

Continuing to beat, add sugar in parts. At the very end, add citric acid, vanilla sugar and salt if the liquid from the peas is not salty. Beat for 2-4 more minutes.

Put the meringue with a pastry bag on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, bake for 1.5 hours at 100-110 degrees.

Cool the finished meringue, decorate to taste and help yourself!

Meringues with ice cream

 

To prepare a delicious dessert you will need:

Egg white - 2 pcs.; Sugar - 100 g; Ice cream - 200 g.

Proteins combine with sugar and put in a water bath. The water in the pan should boil slightly, 1 cup is enough. Stir the whites with sugar with a whisk until the sugar grains are completely dissolved.

Remove the whites from the water bath and beat on medium speed until stable peaks.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pipe the meringues with a pastry bag, for example, in the shape of hearts. Please note that you should get an even number of bezeks.

Dry the meringues in the oven at 90-100 degrees for 1.5 hours.

Put a piece of your favorite ice cream on half of the meringue and "glue" the remaining meringue halves.

Dessert is ready, enjoy!

Meringues with raspberry sauce

 

Sweet with a pleasant sourness.

You need:

Egg whites - 3 pcs.; Powdered sugar - 100 g; Water - 2-3 tbsp. l.; Raspberries - 50 g; Sugar - 3-4 tbsp. l.

Белки взбейте до твердых пиков, начав со средних оборотов, плавно переходите к высоким.

Из воды и сахарной пудры сварите сироп, достаточно 1-2 минут на среднем огне при постоянном помешивании. Влейте сироп в белки и хорошо взбейте.

Отсадите безе на противень, застеленный пергаментом, и выпекайте в духовке при 150 градусах 15 минут, затем уменьшите нагрев до 100-110 градусов и сушите меренги в течение 40-50 минут.

Малину взбейте с сахаром в блендере и пропустите через мелкое сито, чтобы избавиться от косточек.

Подавайте остывшие меренги, украсив соусом.

Лимонное безе

 

Ароматное, хрустящее и очень вкусное безе!

Для приготовления нужно:

Яичные белки – 3 шт.; Сахар – 170 г; Лимон –1/2 шт.; Шафран – 2 ч. л.

Белки взбейте до устойчивой пены. Затем порциями всыпьте сахар, не переставая взбивать. Получится густая масса.

Add lemon zest, lemon juice and mix gently.

Then add saffron and beat well.

Place the meringue on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake at 100 degrees for 1-1.5 hours.

Ready!

festive meringue

 

Such a bright meringue will especially appeal to children!

You will need:

Egg white - 1 pc.; Powdered sugar - 60 g; Lemon juice - 1/3 tsp; Red food coloring - 3-4 drops.

Add lemon juice and half of the icing sugar to the proteins, beat, starting with a weak speed and moving on to the most powerful. After 4-5 minutes, when the mass has become lush and shiny, add the remaining powdered sugar and continue beating for another 10 minutes.

Add 1-2 drops of dye to the finished mass and beat. Separate 1/5 of the meringue and add another 1-2 drops of dye - these will be our ears and patch.

Put the meringue in piping bags, first place light pink circles and add them with ears, eyes and patches of dark pink color.

Dry the meringue for 1 hour at 100 degrees.

Decorate the finished meringue with chocolate, depicting a smile and treat the kids!

Cake "Pavlova"

 

Fragile cake made of meringue and butter cream.

For cooking you will need:

Egg white - 3 pcs.; Sugar - 175 g; Citric acid - a pinch; Cornstarch - 1 tsp; Butter - 150 g; Condensed milk - 120 g; Kiwi - 1 pc.

Add sugar and citric acid to the proteins, beat a little. Place the bowl of egg whites in a water bath so that the bowl does not touch the water, and beat for 8-10 minutes until stiff peaks form.

Then remove the whites from the water bath, add the starch and mix gently with a wooden spatula.

Place the meringue on a baking sheet lined with parchment, starting from the middle and working in a spiral, forming a small depression in the center.

Dry the meringue at 100 degrees for 1 hour.

Beat room temperature butter until fluffy and, continuing to beat, add condensed milk in a thin stream.

Fill meringue baskets with cream, garnish with kiwi or any other fruit/berries and enjoy!