Modern cooking It’s impossible to imagine without airy meringues. The delicacy, familiar to each of us since childhood, appeared in the 18th century in Switzerland, over time it became known throughout the world and to this day is one of the most delicious and sought-after products. confectionery art. Gourmet desserts and delicious cookies, delicate layers for cakes and pastries, a wonderful base for biscuits, soufflés, mousses and ice cream... Meringues and mouth-watering masterpieces based on them are simply paradise for those with a sweet tooth!
There is absolutely nothing complicated about pampering yourself and your loved ones with delicious sweets. You just need to have some time and necessary products, and most importantly, familiarize yourself with the basic rules of meringue preparation technology.
According to the method of preparation, meringues are divided into 3 types
French meringue is egg whites beaten with sugar and/or powdered sugar. Baked in the form of large cakes or small cakes, this type of meringue is used as a base for further baking or as an additive in oil creams, soufflé, biscuits.
Italian meringue consists of whites whipped into a foam with hot sugar syrup. It is used for filling a variety of confectionery products and for decorating cakes and pastries.
Swiss meringue is made from egg whites beaten with sugar in a water bath. Depending on the time during which the protein mass is heated and whipped, its subsequent use may be different: baking, decoration culinary products, preparing fillings.
Of the three types listed above, the most popular is French version making meringue. And today we will talk about it.
To whip the egg whites for French meringue, you can use a food processor with a built-in blender, a stand mixer, a stand blender, or an immersion blender. Of course, you can also use an ordinary whisk, but you must understand that in this case you will need much more time and effort than you will spend using a kitchen electric assistant.
When choosing a container for manually beating egg whites, opt for a glass or metal container with a round bottom. Plastic in in this case undesirable, since it will subsequently be very difficult to wash it off from grease. Also remember that while whipping with one hand you will be constantly pouring sugar into the container. Therefore, in order to ensure a stable position of the bowl with proteins on the work surface, I recommend placing it on a thick kitchen towel (thanks to this, the dishes will not slide on the table).
It is important to know and remember that before you begin the whisking process, you should thoroughly degrease the bowl and whisk (wipe lemon wedge or scald with boiling water), then wipe dry with a clean kitchen towel. This factor is very important! The protein mass without the slightest admixture of fat ensures stability (and therefore excellent quality!) of meringues. You can be sure that this meringue will not separate or fall into pieces during baking!
When beating the protein mass in a blender, under no circumstances close it with an airtight lid! This will ensure free access of air, enrich the proteins with oxygen, and accordingly the meringues will turn out fluffy and tender.
Secrets of the right meringue
It has long been known that the longer eggs are stored, the drier their whites become. And the drier it is, the easier it whips. Therefore, to prepare meringue it is recommended not to use fresh eggs, and with a shelf life of at least 5-7 days.
In order to easily separate the whites from the yolks, you should first place the eggs in the refrigerator (the shell of a cold yolk is stronger and much more difficult to damage than the shell of a warm one). To avoid the risk of salmonellosis, wash the eggs and hands thoroughly with warm water and soap before separating the whites from the yolks. Then take 3 dry, clean bowls. Carefully crack the egg, holding it over one of the bowls, pass the white through your fingers and let it drip into the container. Place the yolk in a second bowl. After carefully checking the protein for freshness and the absence of shell and yolk particles, pour it into a third bowl. The same manipulations should be done with all the other eggs that will be needed for further preparation.
Surely you know that cold whites whip much faster than warm ones. However, I would like to note that for cooking tender meringue You should use proteins exclusively at room temperature (22-25 degrees), since it is from such proteins that the mass turns out to be more fluffy and airy. This is explained by the fact that the molecular compounds of warm proteins are more flexible, and therefore retain large quantity oxygen when whipping. The mass of warm proteins turns out to be more voluminous, porous, and able to hold its shape well. But this is important, you must agree...
Sugar added to egg whites during the beating process should be as fine as possible. If you couldn’t find a suitable product on store shelves, don’t worry! You can grind it in a stationary blender or using an ordinary coffee grinder. Sugar particles significantly facilitate and improve the whipping process, as they have an abrasive effect and help the whisk to better cope with its task. In addition, you should remember that the sugar crystals must completely dissolve (and bind water molecules in the protein), and with small particles this will happen much faster than with large crystals.
In addition to sugar, the whites for meringues are also whipped with powdered sugar (the powder is mixed with sugar or used in pure form excluding sugar altogether). Store-bought powdered sugar almost always contains starch (it is added to prevent the product from caking into lumps or becoming damp), which, of course, affects the structure of the meringue - the confectionery products are more tender and airy. Negative side Using such powder means you are likely to smell a starch taste in the finished meringues. Therefore, if you decide to add exactly powdered sugar I recommend preparing it with my own hands from sugar using an ordinary coffee grinder.
Technology of whipping protein mass for making meringues
1. Prepare sugar (and/or powdered sugar). To do this, using a measuring cup, pour required amount bulk product into a sheet of thick paper or cardboard of medium thickness folded in half.
2. Place the whites, separated from the yolks, in a mixing bowl. If the whites are cold, place the bowl in a warm water– within a few minutes they will reach the temperature necessary for whipping.
3. Using the minimum speed of the mixer (or blender), begin to beat the whites. At this stage, the main goal is to enrich the molecular bonds of the protein with oxygen.
4. As soon as the whites begin to become cloudy (and this happens precisely due to the enrichment with oxygen), increase the whipping speed and, using a sheet of paper, gradually pour sugar (or powder) into the bowl.
5. Continue beating until the snow-white mass becomes homogeneous, fairly dense and shiny.
6. As soon as protein mass reaches the degree of density you require, turn off the mixer and stop beating.
Depending on what you are going to use the meringue for in the future, there are different degrees of hardness of the resulting protein mass.
Stiff peaks (dry or firm meringue). A pointed, stable “tongue” is formed on the raised corolla. This type of meringue is used to make delicious, crispy meringue.
Soft peaks (medium hardness). A pointed tongue is also formed, but after 2-3 seconds it bends into a loop. This meringue is used in making cakes and brownies.
Soft meringue. Pointed “tongues” do not form at all. On the raised corolla, the protein mass has rounded shapes and gradually falls off. This type meringue is used to make sponge dough.
During the beating process, you need to carefully monitor the protein mass. As soon as the desired consistency is achieved, you should immediately turn off the mixer. Otherwise, you risk getting coarse and crumbling meringue (the taste and appearance of which you are unlikely to please).
How to bake meringues
1. Preheat the oven.
2. Line a baking tray with baking paper and sprinkle (grease) a small amount flour. In principle, you can do without flour or use a special silicone mat.
3. Place the protein mixture in portions on the prepared baking sheet (or mat). This can be done using a regular spoon, but meringues piped with a pastry bag with a star tip turn out much more beautiful and neat.
4. Now about the actual baking process.
If you want to get an airy, well-baked meringue, you need to preheat the oven to a temperature of 130-140 degrees, place a baking sheet with the preparations in it and immediately reduce the temperature to 100-110 degrees, and after 15 minutes reduce the heat to 50-60 degrees (or Continue baking with the oven door slightly open.) Meringue baked in this way will lose its shape a little and will not be perfectly white, but its taste is simply excellent!
If your goal is snow-white meringue with ideal forms and a denser structure, you should initially bake the pieces from the protein mass at an oven temperature of 50-60 degrees.
If you need to get a white, porous-airy meringue, and small cracks on the surface do not bother you, you can start baking the protein mass at a temperature of 110 degrees, and after 15 minutes reduce the heat to 60-70 degrees.
There is also one more special kind meringues, which are baked at an oven temperature of 160-200 degrees.
The minimum time required to bake the meringue is about 2 hours. However, one should take into account the fact that meringues are most likely not even baked, but rather dried in the oven. And given the rather low temperature, the cooking process airy delicacy It may take much longer. Plus, don’t forget about the features of different ovens, as this can also have a significant impact on the result of your actions with protein mass. You will have to experiment with each specific oven before you achieve the desired result.
To make it easier to check the readiness of the meringue, it is advisable to make several small balls from the protein mass and bake them together with the main preparations. Closer to the expected end of the cooking process, you can remove a “test” ball from the oven, break it and assess the degree of readiness. You need to remember that warm meringue is a little viscous inside, so before checking whether the product is baked enough, you should definitely cool it.
Exists great amount variety of recipes preparing meringue. Classic proportion The ratio of the ingredients of the protein mass can be considered 1 protein per ¼ cup of sugar. However, it is important to pay attention to the fact that proteins may differ in size and sugar in quality. Therefore, you can prepare your ideal meringue only experimentally. We can only note the fact that the higher the ratio of proteins and sugar, the denser the meringue is, and the lower the baking temperature should be. This can be explained by the fact that when heated, sugar caramelizes and makes the structure of the meringue more stable, but at the same time it can give the confectionery a not always desirable creamy shade and the taste of burnt sugar.
How to store meringues
Ready-made meringue is very sensitive to moisture, so it should be stored in a hermetically sealed container. The more sugar was added to the protein mass, the denser the meringue and the better it is stored. If, during storage, moisture nevertheless got into the container with the confectionery product, and the meringue became soft, you can put it back on the baking sheet, place it in the oven and dry it.
Very often on the culinary pages of the Internet you can find complaints that the meringues still did not turn out the way we wanted them to be. In particular, the main problem is the “settling” of the protein mass during the baking process, the release of liquid - sugar syrup, and the separation of the product. There may be several main reasons for a bad experience: incorrect calculations in the ratio of proteins and sugar, overly beaten egg whites, or high humidity air in the room where the meringue was baked. Pay attention to all the above factors, and your meringue will be perfect!
Looking through the numerous options for preparing meringues, you will notice that in some recipes it is recommended to add salt to the protein mass (during the whipping process), in others - citric acid or cream of tartar, in still others they add nothing at all. How to be? Which option should you prefer?
Egg whites are 85% water and only 15% protein, vitamins and minerals. We all know that when we beat water, we only get foam, and even a very unstable one. From this it follows that in order to obtain a stable foam, water and protein molecules must be bound, but the latter must not precipitate. We increase the viscosity of the water-protein compound by adding sugar, and we prevent precipitation of the protein using salt or acid. Moreover, it is very important to add these ingredients following the instructions of proven recipes, otherwise a reverse reaction will occur and the protein will precipitate.
Be that as it may, many experienced housewives claim that the actions described above, used to stabilize the protein, are not at all necessary, and meringue is excellent without any additives to the protein-sugar mass. I will repeat again and say that after experimenting with several recipes, you will probably develop your own formula for making tender meringue.
Meringue is one of the easiest desserts to prepare, which, however, still raises a lot of questions and difficulties in the preparation process. People also call meringue meringue. Many people get confused by the names and don’t understand the difference. They also don’t respect the shelf life of meringues, they just don’t know. And the consequences of poisoning with an expired product will not brighten the holiday.
However, meringue and meringue are absolutely perfect different dishes, no matter how strange it sounds. The meringue is only the base for the cakes, which are later baked at the lowest possible temperature in the oven for several hours and subsequently become meringue. Meringue is also used to create creams, layers, souffles, and decorate cakes, waffles, and pastries.
Types of meringues
There are three types of meringues. And they differ in the method of preparation.
- French meringue is egg whites beaten with sugar or powdered sugar. This is the most popular method for making crispy airy meringues. This method is the most simple option preparations.
- Swiss meringue is made from egg whites beaten with sugar in a water bath, then allowed to cool without stopping beating, and then baked. It is used to produce products such as meringues, meringues (dry crispy crust with a moist soufflé core inside), as well as creams.
- Italian meringue is made from whites whipped into foam with hot (boiling) sugar syrup. Most often used for decoration, creams and other meringues that do not require further heat treatment.
History of meringue
Baked sweet whites of chicken eggs are called meringues, literally from French word meringue. There are rumors that the author of this dish is the Swiss Gasparini, who once lived in the town of Meiringen.
According to other sources, small airy cakes have been known since the time of the Polish king Stanislav Leszczynski. They say that his cook “sniffed” the recipe from the French and prepared it based on meringue airy cakes- Vasharins.
But there is another point of view. It is more likely that François Massialo was the first to use the word “meringue” in his cookbook, which was published in 1692. But there is still no exact, unambiguous answer.
Meringue shelf life
The shelf life of meringue cake is very short. This is because the product itself is prepared from natural products, which themselves have a short shelf life.
No one would think of storing meringues long time. It's airy, aromatic and tasty dish, usually served as a dessert, is the first dessert to be eaten. Meringue shelf life homemade not much different from the shelf life of a factory product. But nevertheless, if there is a need to preserve the product, you need to follow some simple rules:
- Baked cake can be stored in an airtight container for up to 7 days;
- cannot be stored in the refrigerator, as there the product will very quickly become damp and become soft and tasteless;
- some types can be stored in the freezer, pre-packed tightly in pastry bag.
So how long does homemade meringue last?
The shelf life of meringue is from one to two weeks. And when frozen in the freezer, the shelf life increases to one month.
Due to the fact that the meringue contains little moisture, it can be stored for quite a long time without refrigeration, at normal temperatures. room temperature. When choosing a place for storage, it is important that this place is kept as dry as possible and there is almost no moisture. The ideal place to store meringue is in special paper boxes or airtight containers.
Shelf life of meringue in the refrigerator
Meringues should not be stored in the refrigerator. Even when completely cooled, you should not put it in the refrigerator, hoping to save it until tomorrow, until the day after tomorrow.
It's simple. By placing the product in the cold, while being packaged or vacuum packaging, the process of moisture condensation begins inside the cake itself. Although it seems that in a tightly tied bag there is no place for moisture to come from. But the experience of many housewives tells a different story.
“In the oven it will dry out and there will be no moisture there!” Yes, if you consume it right away, there really won’t be any moisture there. But after lying in the refrigerator for a day, you can find enough moisture inside the cake. The meringue becomes moist and sticky. And moisture promotes the very rapid development of bacteria. And protein itself is fertile ground for bacteria. Poisoning is also possible. It's not worth the risk.
Shelf life of meringue according to GOST
In accordance with GOST R 53041-2008 “Confectionery products and semi-finished products confectionery production» Meringue has the terminology as a confectionery product with a sugar content of at least 20%.
Sugary confectionery products include: candy, caramel, toffee, dragee, halva, marmalade, pastille product, sugary oriental product, chewing gum, paste, cream, confectionery tile, confectionery figure, aerated product, meringue, nougat
Specifically about meringue it is said that it is “Baked sugary pastry from aerated mass based on sugar and foaming agent, with or without the addition of other raw materials, food additives, flavorings, with a density of no more than 370 kg/m.”
But this document does not indicate the shelf life of meringue.
There is information on the Internet about the shelf life of meringue (meringue), but GOST standards are not mentioned anywhere. If you find such information, we ask you to suggest it. Let me know in the comments. We will be grateful to you.
But judging by many years of experience confectionery industry, and also from the experience of our housewives - “In an airtight package, meringue can be stored for about a week.” Expiration and storage dates are indicated by manufacturers on the packaging. They refer to different specifications, in which the terms differ slightly. But in general, the deadlines do not exceed those indicated.
Shelf life of meringues and meringues according to specifications
We invite you to read excerpts from TU 10.72.12-578-37676459-2017 “Long-lasting cakes.”
The products differ in recipes, shapes and are available in the following assortment. But we will not give the entire huge list with names. There are Meringue and Meringue cakes there. We provide data on storage periods and corresponding conditions.
Products are stored at temperatures from plus 2°C to plus 6°C and relative air humidity of no more than 75%. Storage together with products that have a specific odor is not allowed.
- for products with a cream finish – 1.5 months;
- for products with mousse finish – 1 month.
- for products with a cream finish – 3 months;
- for products with mousse finishing – 2 months.
- for products with a cream finish – 6 months;
- for products with mousse finish – 5 months.
- for products with a cream finish – 12 months;
- for products with mousse finish – 10 months.
In the absence of refrigeration, products cannot be stored or sold.
Thawed and re-frozen products are not allowed for sale.
Meringue on a stick
Meringue on a stick is the same meringue, only put on a stick. The meringue on a stick is prepared and stored in the same way.
But still, the question is constantly asked - How long does meringue on a stick last? Let's repeat ourselves a little.
When preparing meringue (meringue), the more sugar you add to the recipe, the denser the meringue becomes, and accordingly, the better it is stored. But any ready dish from meringue, meringue, very sensitive to a humid environment. Therefore, it is best to store it in tightly closed containers to avoid moisture. Meringue, like a sponge, can absorb moisture from the air and becomes soft, as a result of which the shelf life is sharply reduced, the taste changes and the cake becomes sticky, and sometimes the process of bacteria development begins inside (the process of rotting begins).
There is no need to use meringue in layers of cream with high content moisture. Do not store meringues in the refrigerator or in a plastic bag. This causes them to become damp and sticky. But if the meringues, during storage, still managed to become saturated with moisture and became limp, then they can be dried again in the oven, with the door ajar, at a temperature of 50 degrees.
Meringue (or meringue) is egg whites whipped with sugar into a strong foam and dried in the oven. Translated from French, meringue (baiser) means “kiss”. This one has many other romantic names. delicate dessert– “Spanish wind”, “French meringues”, “meringue of love”. Meringue is a delicious treat that nothing compares to.. It's good on its own with a cup of coffee or tea. It can be decorated with cream and berries, turning it into an elegant cake. In addition, meringue is often used to form cakes and, as a rule, these cakes have a special unforgettable taste. The recipe for making meringue is quite simple, but despite this, meringue is a big whim - sometimes the sugar is not right for it, sometimes the whites don’t want to whip, sometimes it doesn’t dry out, but melts in the oven. I'll talk about how to avoid troubles and mistakes when making meringues. I am sure that if you make friends with this recipe, meringue will become your favorite pastry.
You will need:
- egg whites 3 pcs
The most popular proportion of proteins and sugar -for 1 protein 50 g sugar. Use this as a guide when choosing the quantity of baking. For convenience, they usually take 4 proteins and a glass of sugar, but I chose the proportion with three proteins, because... from this amount of ingredients, a whipped protein mass is obtained just for one baking sheet of small meringues. Of course, you can place four whipped egg whites on one baking sheet, but then the meringues will be larger.
How to diversify meringues?
- You can add it to meringue nuts who chop with a knife large pieces, add to the whipped protein mass before baking and mix with a spoon. The proportion of nuts is the same as sugar.
- You can also make the meringue colorful by adding a little syrup or juice, for example, cranberries (about a tablespoon for three whites). This should be done at the end of beating.
- Before baking, meringues can be decorated with colorful or chocolate sprinkles, and after baking, the cooled meringue can be poured with melted chocolate.
As you can see, there are plenty of creative options, all that remains is to bake the meringue)
What do you need to know when baking meringue?
- Eggs must be fresh. Break one egg on a saucer and look at the white - it should lie around the yolk like a hard elastic ring, and not spread out into a liquid puddle. It is from these proteins that perfect meringue is obtained.
- Eggs must be chilled. In cold eggs, the white separates from the yolk more easily and beats faster.
- Carefully separate the whites from the yolks. Even one small drop of yolk that gets into a bowl of whites can ruin everything. Therefore, it is better to separate each new egg over a separate bowl, so that in case of failure, you can replace the white with the yolk in it with another one.
- Use white sugar with small crystals. Sugar must be dry.
The container in which you will beat the meringue, as well as the mixer whisk, must be clean, grease-free and dry. Therefore, thoroughly wash the bowl and whisk (even if they are clean) with baking soda or detergent, wipe dry.
Step-by-step photo recipe for making meringue:
Separate the yolks from the whites. This can be conveniently done using a special egg separator or by pouring the yolk from one half of the shell to the other. You can simply pour the egg into your hand and pass the white between your fingers.
Advice: prepare from the remaining yolks , which can be wrapped in foil or cling film and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. And you can cook something else- a very tasty, warming drink.
Beat the whites with a mixer for 2-3 minutes. Start with low revs and gradually increase speed. For best result Some chefs recommend adding a pinch of salt or 3-5 drops of lemon juice to the whites before beating (I don’t add it).
The whites should increase in volume and turn into a strong fluffy foam.
Without turning off the mixer add sugar- sprinkle gradually, in a thin stream. Once the sugar is completely added, beat for 6-7 minutes. You may need more or less time - depending on the power of the mixer.
The protein mass is considered well whipped when a visible mark from the whisk remains on its surface and the sugar has completely dissolved (rub a little whipped protein between your fingers - grains of sugar should not be felt). If you decide to add nuts, do so now.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Using a spoon place the meringue on a baking sheet.
Properly whipped whites “tightly” stick to the spoon, so when placing them on a baking sheet, help with another spoon or just your finger.
You can transfer the whipped mixture into a pastry bag and pipe the meringue using various nozzles into the desired shape.
I prefer not to make unnecessary movements and spread the meringue with a spoon. I like these shapeless pieces, each of which turns out unique and in finished form very reminiscent of Netsuke figurines - miniature Japanese sculpture made of animal bones or fangs. My husband, seeing for the first time homemade meringue, that’s exactly what I called these cakes. Since then, in our family, meringue is called Netski, with the ending “i” in the Russian manner)))
Bake the meringues in a preheated oven at t 90°C 2 hours. Don't be embarrassed if the meringue is a little soft after two hours - turn off the heat and leave the meringue in the oven until it cools completely, then it will harden.
Advice: The process of making meringue is more of a drying process than a baking process, so the oven temperature should be low. If your oven “can’t” do low temperature(there are ovens with a minimum temperature of 160°), cook the meringue with the oven door slightly open for 1 hour, then turn the baking sheet 180° and cook for another 1 hour.
"Correct" ready meringue there must be white or have a slightly creamy tint, be brittle, crumble easily when pressed with your fingers, melt evenly in the mouth and not stick to the teeth.
Try making this crispy sweet miracle at home, you will definitely succeed!
How nice it is to receive such beauty as a gift! Give homemade cakes to your loved ones - place it in a beautiful cardboard box or tin can.
Children, looking at homemade meringue of bizarre shapes, love to fantasize and guess what it looks like - this develops their imagination.
Meringue also contains no fat at all, so this dessert can be eaten by those who are watching their figure, of course, in reasonable quantities)
These little crumbly meringue pieces serve as the base for my favorite,
Enjoy your tea party, friends!
Meringue. Brief recipe.
You will need:
- egg whites 3 pcs
- sugar 150 g or 3/4 cup (glass volume 200 ml)
Separate the yolks from the whites.
Beat the whites with a mixer until fluffy foam for 2-3 minutes.
Without turning off the mixer, add sugar - pour gradually, in a thin stream. Once the sugar is completely added, beat for 6-7 minutes. The whites are considered well beaten when a visible trace of the whisk remains on the surface of the mass and the sugar has completely dissolved (rub a little whipped egg white between your fingers - grains of sugar should not be felt).
Using a spoon, spoon the egg white mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Bake the meringue in a preheated oven at 90°C for 2 hours.
In contact with
Meringues are rightfully considered the most controversial dessert, because they consist of only 2 simple ingredients - egg white and sugar, but they look so beautiful and sophisticated that their popularity is only growing every day. However, not every pastry chef, especially a beginner, knows all the intricacies of preparing this exquisite French dessert, but don’t worry.
Let's master some of the nuances that we will be happy to share with you today, you can easily prepare exquisite French meringues using home kitchen. But before we talk about all the secrets of their preparation, let's figure out if there is a difference between meringue and meringue.
Meringue or meringue
In Russia, quite often the word “meringue” means ready dessert, but in fact, meringue is the protein cream itself, from which meringues are baked - crispy airy cakes. Thus, these 2 concepts should not be confused, because meringue can be used not only to prepare this particular dessert, but also as a cream for a cake.
Main types of meringue
The word “meringue” itself means “kiss” in French. This name perfectly emphasizes the tenderness and sweetness of this cream. But in addition to the classic French meringue, there is also Swiss and Italian options creams that are slightly different and suitable for different dishes.
For cooking French meringue you will need 2 chicken eggs and 150 grams of powdered sugar. After separating the whites from the yolks, begin to beat the whites and, when a light foam forms, gradually add sugar, continuing to beat. The resulting cream is perfect for meringues, so you just need to squeeze it onto parchment and place it in an oven preheated to 100–110 degrees for 1–2 hours. Exact time will depend on the size of the meringues.
Cooking technology Swiss meringue is different. Besides egg whites and sugar, in the same proportion as for French meringue, you will need a container with hot water. Place the whipping cup itself in the container and place the egg whites and sugar into it at the same time.
Beat everything into a strong foam and you can bake the cakes. Just keep in mind that the water temperature should not be higher than 50 degrees. Swiss cream is thicker than classic cream and makes cool meringues with different patterns. Rest assured that they will not lose their shape or sag, so feel free to experiment.
Italian cream is the most delicate and ideal for coating cake layers or decorating a cake. To prepare it, take 2 egg whites, 200 grams of sugar and 100 milliliters of water. First, cook enough in a saucepan thick syrup, bring water and sugar to a boil, and then pour it into the whipped whites in a thin stream, continuing to beat them. If you decide to make meringues from Italian meringues, they take the same amount of time to bake as classic ones, but they turn out more airy inside.
Secrets of making meringues and meringues
The most important rule to know is a clean, dry container for whipping egg whites. There should not be a single drop of water on its surface, otherwise the whites will not whip. For the same reason, it is necessary to ensure that not a drop of yolk gets into the whites. If this happens, be sure to remove the remaining yolk with eggshells.
It is best to make meringue from freshly ground sugar. The fact is that ready-made powdered sugar, which has been standing on the kitchen shelf for a long time, absorbs moisture from the air and this can prevent the formation of a strong protein foam. We also recommend beating the whites not with a mixer, but with a round spiral whisk. Do this with scooping movements to make the foam as airy as possible.
Many people start adding powdered sugar right away, but it is better to first beat the egg whites a little and then gradually add the sugar. This will allow the cream to whip up to sharp peaks faster. The only exception is swiss meringue, where everything needs to be whipped at the same time.
The term “meringue” is often used by art confectioners. Each of us can encounter it when trying to cook a delicious cake, a cake or other dessert according to a new recipe, or ordering a cake from a pastry chef for your birthday or a loved one. Therefore, everyone will be interested to know what kind of “wonderful beast” is hidden behind this word.
Meringue - what is it?
Meringue is tender airy cream made from egg whites beaten with sugar. Meringue is often confused with meringue, but this is not true. Meringue is the base of the meringue, which after heat treatment turns into an equally tasty, but different dessert. The origin of the name, as well as the dish itself, has several versions.
According to the most common version, the name of the dessert was given by the Swiss town of Meiringen, located near the Reichenbach Falls. The waterfall is famous for the fact that it was there that the battle between the brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes and the brilliant villain Moriarty took place in the work of A.K. Doyle.
And the town is famous for the fact that he lived in it italian chef Gasparini, who came up with an airy dessert from the protein and sugar left over after preparing the main dish.
According to two other versions, the birthplace of meringue is France and Poland. In Poland they are sure that the name meringue comes from the Polish word marzynka, and this dish was invented by the cook of King Stanislaw I Leszczynski. His daughter later married Louis XV and introduced this recipe into French cuisine.
The French cite the fact that the first written description of this dessert was made by their chef Massialo in his cookbook. Therefore, they consider France to be the birthplace of meringue. But let Switzerland, Poland and France continue to argue about who invented the airy meringue, and let those with a sweet tooth enjoy its delicate taste.
Varieties
Depending on the method of whipping proteins with sugar, there are three types of meringue:
- French
- Swiss;
- Italian.
Let's look at how whites are whipped for each type, and how this affects the final result.
So when they say french meringue, then they simply mean whites whipped with sugar without any heat treatment. Due to large quantity sugar with which I beat the whites, the dessert turns out quite stable and dense, it holds its shape well.
For Swiss meringue, the whites along with sugar are heated to steam bath until it is completely dissolved, and then, continuing to heat, beat into a fluffy mass. The result is a mass that is whipped a little worse than using the previous method.
After the Swiss and French meringue, it would be logical to admit the existence of the Polish one (based on the names of the countries that claim to be recognized as its inventor). But no, the next one is Italian meringue.
During its preparation, hot water is poured into the whipped whites in a thin stream, without stopping beating. sugar syrup. The temperature of the syrup is 110-118 degrees. This heat treatment avoids infection with salmonellosis.
What do “peaks” mean and what are they?
For a cook, spades are not card suits, but the degree of whipping of the protein. There are three types of peaks:
- Soft peaks;
- Medium Peaks;
- Hard (hard) peaks.
Peaks are determined by appearance and the ability of the mass to remain on the rim. Soft peaks are characterized by well-beaten whites, which, however, do not stick to the whisk, but slide down along it. This degree of overrunning is suitable for soufflés and biscuits.
With medium peaks, the protein mass is able to stay on the corolla, but its tip falls off and is wrapped in a loop. Since whites with soft and medium peaks can still grow in volume, both of these degrees of overrunning are suitable for biscuits.
Egg whites whipped to stiff peaks have the densest structure, so they do not fall off the whisk, and their tip stands unshakable in any position of the whisk. Such a mass does not have a significant potential for increase and holds its shape best. It is suitable for making creams and meringues.
When beating the whites to stiff peaks, remember that they can be overbeaten. In this case, the mass will become grainy, liquid will be released, and, ultimately, it will separate.
Use in cooking
In cooking, each type of meringue has become widespread. So, French is best suited for making meringues, icing Easter cakes, gingerbread cookies and cakes.
Italian meringue serves as the base butter creams, ideal for decorating the top of pie or cupcakes. Swiss meringue in its characteristics is something between French and Italian, so it can be used almost everywhere.
Meringues have become the basis for many popular desserts: airy meringues, luxurious Pavlova cake, dacquoise with nuts, Kiev cake, macaroons, sand baskets with protein cream, lemon tart. This protein cream became the basis for Swiss butter meringue (protein-butter cream), which is used to fill eclairs and profiteroles and decorate cakes.
Any dessert with meringue becomes light, tender, airy and extremely tasty. And where to use it depends only on the imagination of the confectioner.
How to make meringue: 3 basic recipes
The whipping technology was described above. various types meringues, and now it’s worth talking about the preparation of each of them in more detail.
French
This protein cream has the most unstable structure; over time it can fall off, but it is very easy to prepare. Only due to the lack of heat treatment of the yolks, it is not recommended to eat it raw.
Cooking algorithm.
- Degrease clean bowl and mixer beaters lemon juice and dry;
- Place the egg white in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and start beating the mixer at low speed;
- When the whites begin to foam and become airy, switch to medium speed;
- While beating the mixture at medium speed, add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until it is completely dissolved;
- When the sugar dissolves go to high speed and beat for another 1-2 minutes. When the bowl is turned upside down, the finished French meringue does not move even a millimeter and has hard peaks.
Swiss
Protein-custard prepared in this way is airy and soft with a glossy surface. For it you need to prepare proteins and sugar in the following proportions:
- 2 squirrels;
- 120 g granulated sugar.
Cream preparation time: 20 minutes.
100 g of this dessert contains 268 kcal.
Progress:
Italian
In this cream recipe, along with proteins and sugar, one more ingredient is used - water, from which the syrup is cooked. The result is almost weightless, airy and light cream, for which you need to prepare:
- 2 squirrels;
- 150 g sugar;
- 40 ml water.
It will take 40 minutes to prepare the meringue this way.
Calorie content of the cream – 253 kcal/100 g.
Sequence of processes:
- In a saucepan with a thick bottom, boil sugar syrup from 100 g of sugar and 40 ml of water. When the syrup boils, let it simmer for 5-6 minutes, then do the soft ball test: drop a drop of syrup into a bowl of cold water and roll the frozen ball between your fingers. If it is soft, then the syrup is ready;
- Beat the egg whites with 50 g of sugar until soft peaks form, then pour in the boiling sugar syrup in a thin stream, being careful not to get on the walls of the mixer bowl or its beaters, as it hardens quickly;
- After all the syrup has been added to the whites, the mass must continue to be beaten until it is completely cooled. This will take no more than 5-7 minutes. Ready cream It has a very dense structure and is difficult to shake off from the corolla.
Although there seems to be nothing complicated in preparing meringues, you should not neglect some tips that will help you avoid failure:
- The dishes and whisk of the mixer must be perfectly dry and clean, without the slightest drop of fat. To be on the safe side, you can wipe them with lemon juice;
- Culinary experts have not yet come to a consensus on what the temperature of the whites should be before beating: cold or warm. Practice shows that this does not matter. They will still fluff up;
- For Italian and Swiss meringue, it is better to use eggs that are a week old, and for French meringue, only the freshest ones, since they are not heat-treated;
- For protein cream you need to take fine sugar or powdered sugar. Large crystals will take a long time to dissolve, and there is a risk of overbeating the meringue;
- You need to start whipping the whites at slow speeds, and when they are well saturated with oxygen, switch to higher speeds.
Good luck with your culinary experiments!
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