James Martin Italian Meringue Recipes

BASIC ITALIAN MERINGUE RECIPE

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over high heat, stirring only until it comes to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, stop stirring. Cook until sugar syrup registers 240°F (115°C) on an instant-read or candy thermometer. Brush down sides of pot as necessary with a pastry brush dipped in water.
• Meanwhile, combine egg whites and cream of tartar or lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (see note). Set mixer to medium speed and mix until soft peaks form (when lifted, the head of the mixer should form gentle peaks in the egg whites that very slowly collapse back into themselves), about 2 minutes.
• With the mixer running, carefully and slowly drizzle in hot sugar syrup. (Hot sugar is just as dangerous as fryer oil, so use caution!) Increase speed to high and whip until desired stiffness is achieved. Soft peaks are often used to aerate mousses, for example, while a stiff peak is best for buttercream.

ITALIAN MERINGUE (MAGNIFICENT PIE MERINGUE)

Steps:

• Place a shelf in the middle of the oven. Place a baking stone on it and preheat oven to 375°F/191°C.
• In a small saucepan, heat the cornstarch and ⅓ cup (79 ml) cool water over medium heat, stirring steadily with a whisk until thick and cloudy. Reserve until needed.
• Read Egg-White Foams and Meringues At a Glance (see below). Follow precautions - scrupulously clean bowl and beater.
• In a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form when the beater is lifted. Add in ¼ cup (1.8 oz/50 g) sugar and continue to beat.
• In a heavy unlined saucepan, stir together remaining 1¾ cups (12.3 oz/347 g) of the sugar, the corn syrup, and ½ cup (118 ml) water. Bring to a boil, rinse down the sides of the pan with the water on a pastry brush. Attach a candy thermometer to the saucepan, and continue to boil the syrup until it reaches 248°F/120°C (hard-ball stage).
• Continue beating whites until stiff peaks form. Ideally, have the whites stiff when the syrup reaches 248°F/120°C. Rinse a 2-cup (473 ml) heatproof glass measuring cup with a spout with the hottest tap water and dry well. When the syrup reaches 248°F/120°C, carefully pour the syrup into the cup. Drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the meringue while beating on medium speed. Try to avoid drizzling the syrup on the beaters or the sides of the bowl. The meringue will swell dramatically and fill the whole bowl. Beat until the meringue has cooled, about 10 to 13 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and salt, then beat in about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the reserved cornstarch paste, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time. The meringue is essentially cooked but it is still snow white. It is the perfect palette for a masterpiece.
• Spread the meringue on the pie. Place the pie in the middle of the oven and bake for about 10 minutes - just until the ridges are brown - then remove from the oven and touch up with a blowtorch as desired. (I think that you have to be very experienced to brown a meringue with a blowtorch alone. It is easier to bake just until you start getting color on the ridges, then pull out of the oven and touch up with the blowtorch.)
• Egg-White Foams and Meringues At a Glance
• What to do? Use scrupulously clean bowl and beaters for egg whites. Use fresh egg whites. Why? Any oil or grease will wreck an egg-white foam.
• What to do? Use room-temperature eggs. Why? Warmer eggs are easier to separate. The length of time it takes to beat egg whites is inversely related to how cold the whites are. The colder the whites, the longer the beating time.
• What to do? Separate the eggs using the three-bowl method. Why? Even a trace of egg yolk will deflate an egg-white foam.
• What to do? Use a copper bowl or add ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar per egg white. Why? To get a more stable foam that will hold up better in cooking.
• What to do? For meringues, add the sugar when soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Be sure to add sugar then-do not wait until too late. Why? Adding sugar too early reduces the volume and increases beating time. If you wait too late to add sugar, meringue can dry out and will not expand.
• What to do? Do not overbeat egg whites. Beat them only until they are still moist and slip a little in the bowl. Why? Overbeaten egg-white foams become dry and rigid and will not expand in a hot oven.
• What to do? Stir tapioca starch into the sugar or make a cornstarch paste and beat in the paste after adding the sugar. Why? Starch prevents the meringue's shrinking when baked and prevents tearing when the meringue is cut.

JAMES MARTIN - MANGO PARFAIT & MERINGUE STACKS

Steps:

• For the mango parfait, place the egg yolks, water and half the sugar into a saucepan and whisk to combine. Place over a low heat and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes, until the mixture thickens.
• Remove from the heat and pour into a mixing bowl. Whisk until the mixture cools and is light and fluffy.
• Meanwhile, place the mango flesh into a blender and blend until smooth. Pass through a sieve into a bowl.
• Add the cream to the mango mixture and whisk until the mixture forms soft peaks when the whisk is removed. Fold in the cooled egg yolk mixture.
• Place the egg whites into a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed. Gradually add the remaining caster sugar, continuing to whisk until stiff and glossy.
• Fold the egg white mixture into the cream mixture until well combined.
• Spoon the mixture into six individual pudding moulds lined with cling film. Place into the freezer for 1-2 hours until completely firm.
• Preheat the oven to 100C/200F/Gas ¾.
• For the meringue stack, place the egg whites into a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed.
• Gradually add the sugar and continue to whisk until stiff and glossy.
• Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle. Draw 18 7.5cm/3in diameter circles onto baking parchment and place onto a baking sheet.
• Pipe the meringue in a spiral to fill each circle.
• Transfer to the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then turn the oven off but leave the meringues in there for at least two hours. When crisp, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
• Remove the parfait from the freezer five minutes before serving.
• To serve, place a meringue disc onto each of six serving plates. Spread a little whipped cream over them, then drizzle with the passion fruit flesh. Top with another meringue and the remaining cream and passion fruit, then finish with a third meringue.
• Turn the parfaits out onto the plates with the meringues. Dust the meringue stacks with icing sugar and top with a few mango slices.