Meringue With 6 Egg Whites Recipes

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.

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.