2 Egg Meringue Recipes

MERINGUE II

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine water, 2 tablespoons sugar, and cornstarch. Cook over low heat until clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
• In a large glass or metal bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until mixture is foamy. Mix in vanilla, then gradually add the 6 tablespoons sugar, beating constantly until meringue forms soft peaks. Gradually pour in cornstarch mixture, beating until stiff. Spread over top of pie and seal to the crust. Brown in oven if desired.

TWO-BITE MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275°F (135°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat egg whites in large glass or metal mixing bowl with electric mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, until sugar is dissolved and stiff, glossy peaks form. Fold in vanilla.
• To make meringues, dollop about 2 tbsp (30 mL) mixture per meringue onto baking sheet. Alternatively, pipe mixture onto sheets using a piping bag with a star tip or a re-sealable bag with the corner snipped.
• Bake in preheated 275°F (135°C) oven until firm, about 55 to 60 minutes. Cool completely and store meringues in airtight container. Makes about 48 meringues.

BASIC MERINGUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
• Beat egg whites in medium bowl with electric mixer until frothy. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tbsp (15 mL) at a time, until sugar is dissolved and stiff, glossy peaks form.
• Spread over hot pie filling in decorative swirls.
• Bake pie in preheated 425°F (220°C) oven until tips of meringue are golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Makes topping for a 9-inch (23 cm) pie.

MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). To prevent burning you can bake on an air cushion baking sheet or put parchment paper on a regular cookie sheet.
• Beat egg whites, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla until very firm. Gradually add sugar and mix. Fold in chocolate chips.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls on pan. Bake 300 degrees for 25 minutes. They should only be lightly browned.

GOOD MERINGUE

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture forms stiff peaks.

ULTIMATE MERINGUE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 110C/ 100C fan/gas ¼.
• Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick liner or parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).
• Tip 4 large egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl (not plastic). Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.
• Now turn the speed up and start to add 115g caster sugar, a dessertspoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition. It's important to add the sugar slowly at this stage as it helps prevent the meringue from weeping later. However, don't over-beat. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy.
• Sift one third of the 115g icing sugar over the mixture, then gently fold it in with a big metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in the remaining icing sugar a third at a time. Again, don't over-mix. The mixture should now look smooth and billowy.
• Scoop up a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture. Using another dessertspoon, ease it on to the baking sheet to make an oval shape. Or just drop them in rough rounds, if you prefer.
• Bake for 1 ½-1 ¾ hours in a fan oven, 1 ¼ hours in a conventional or gas oven, until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour.
• Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack. (The meringues will now keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for a month.) Serve two meringues sandwiched together with a generous dollop of softly whipped double cream.