Meringue – My Love
If somebody asked me a recipe for which dish {or its varaition} appears most often on my blog, without a doubt, I would answer MERINGUE. I love them all: from soft or crispy meringue roulades, meringue cookies to different types of layered meringue cakes. I made them, ate them and included the recipes on my blog.
My family members and friends love them too. They cannot imagine a social gathering in my house without a meringue. So I bake them quite often. And because of it, I have gained some knowledge that allows me to get a perfect result each time I prepare this sweet treat. Today, I would like to share with you my tips and recipe for easy meringue.
Recipe for Easy Meringue – Ingredients
I realize the above title might be a bit confusing as I will not give you a more straightforward recipe than you may have already used/seen. To be honest, all recipes for meringues are very similar and already easy. You need two simple ingredients in the following proportion: 50g sugar for each medium-sized egg white. You will also need a bit of acid to stabilize the egg whites and ensure the meringue will stay fluffy and not deflate. I usually use lemon juice or white wine vinegar, but you can also use cream of tartar. You may add vanilla extract, too. However, that is not an essential ingredient as the cake will get plenty of flavours anyway from your chosen filling.
How to Make the Perfect Meringue?
As you can see from the above, the ingredients are so basic that you probably always have them in your kitchen. The overall instructions are straightforward too. I could summarize the recipe for easy meringue to a simple sentence: beat the egg whites till stiff, gradually add the sugar, and gently stir in the acidic ingredient and flavouring. However, there are a few crucial points you have to remember and follow. So here are some tips how to make the perfect meringue:
1. Cold eggs separate easier, but warm egg whites whisk better. Proper separation is crucial as even the tiniest trace of egg yolk will prevent egg whites from reaching stiff peaks. That’s why separate cold eggs individually, i.e. only after you check the yolk didn’t break, add the egg white to a bowl you will use for beating. Then leave them till they reach room temperature. This way, they will whisk up to maximum volume.
2. Ensure the bowl and utensils you will use to beat the whites are super clean and dry. Any traces of grease will make it impossible for stiff peaks to form.
3. Beat the egg whites till stiff before you start adding sugar.
4. Don’t use regular or granulated sugar. Instead, use superfine sugar {caster sugar}. It will dissolve faster.
5. After the egg whites form stiff peaks, start adding the sugar slowly and gradually. Add one tablespoon, and keep on beating for 20-30 seconds before adding another one, and whisk for 20-30 seconds again. Repeat this process till you use up all the sugar. Don’t rush; you need to be patient! The process will take several minutes, but it pays off: the sugar will get absorbed into the egg whites. As a result, the meringue mixture will be stiff and glossy without a gritty texture.
6. Since you can’t overbeat meringue after you added all the sugar, continue whisking the mixture a little bit longer {2-3 minutes} 😉
7. Meringue preparation requires a lot of whisking, so use an electric mixer instead of a hand whisk. For the same reason, it is also more convenient to use a stand mixer rather than a hand one.
8. Bake meringues on parchment paper. It will be easy to peel it off once you are ready to use them.
9. Once you put your meringue into a preheated to 180C oven, bake it in such a high heat only for 5 minutes. After that time, decrease the temperature to 140C degrees and continue baking or rather – drying for 90 minutes. Then, turn off the oven and keep the meringues till they are completely cold.
10. I usually prepare my meringues in the evening before I need them and keep them in the oven overnight. I make the filling in the morning, and an hour or two before serving, I assemble them. However, I must say, the leftovers are perfectly fine the next day. So if you prefer to finish your showstopping dessert a day in advance, you can easily do it; just keep it in the fridge.
A Recipe for Easy Meringue and Blackcurrant Mousse for Perfect Summer Dessert
Once you have the perfect meringue discs, you need a delicious cream filling. I have used many different ones: lemon, strawberry, raspberry or even chestnut. However, the one I am about to share with you is really out of this world. I tried it a few months ago when we were on holiday. It was served as mousse in small glasses with some fruit and chocolate shavings. It was such a delicious dessert, but I quickly had another idea of how else I could use it.
I was also fortunate that the chef who made the mousse gave me the recipe. So when I went back home, I made it and used it as a filling for meringue. The cake turned out fantastic: the fragrant, slightly tangy blackcurrant mousse was a perfect match with sweet and crispy meringue.
P.S. The Blackcurrant Mousse is equally delicious without the meringue. You can serve it with some extra fruit on top.
Recipe For Easy Meringue With Blackcurrant Mousse
Ingredients
Meringue recipe:
- 6 egg whites
- 300 g caster sugar
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
Blackcurrant mousse recipe:
- 500 g blackcurrants {fresh or frozen blackcurrants}
- 150 g sugar
- 15 g gelatine powder
- 80 g water
- 500 g double cream
- fresh fruit for decoration
Instructions
- Take two pieces of baking paper and draw a 23cm - diameter circle on each one; then put them on two baking trays.
- Preheat an oven to 180 Celsius degrees.
- Put the egg whites in a big, dry and clean mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat them with an electric mixer.
- When the egg whites form stiff peaks, start adding the caster sugar (while you still beat the egg whites). Add one tablespoon at a time and carry on beating for 20-30 seconds before you add another tablespoon of sugar.
- When you have used all the sugar, keep on whisking for another 2-3 minutes, then add the vinegar and beat for another minute.
- Divide the beaten egg whites into two portions, carefully spread them on the drawn circles, and put both baking trays in the hot oven.
- After 5 minutes, decrease the temperature to 140 Celsius degrees and bake for 90 minutes. Afterwards, turn off the oven, open its doors slightly and keep it open for 5 minutes. Then close the door and keep the meringues in the oven for a few hours or overnight.
- Boil the blackcurrants and sugar. Take it off the heat, puree the mixture in a food processor or blender and press through a sieve.
- Sprinkle the gelatin powder over the top of the water and leave for 5 minutes to bloom.
- Add the gelatine to the blackcurrant puree, stir and leave to cool down.
- Whisk the double cream till almost stiff, add the blackcurrant mixture and gently fold till combined. Leave for 2-3 hours to thicken {I leave it overnight}.
- Spread approx. 3/4 of the blackcurrant mousse on the worse-looking meringue disc and cover it with the second one. Spread the remaining mousse on top of the meringue. If you would like to decorate the whole top, spread the mousse on the entire disc; if you want to create a wreath - arrange the blackcurrant mousse in a wreath shape.
- Decorate with your chosen fruit.
Nutrition
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The images are not only beautiful, but it also seems to me that the foods will be delicious. I will try to see if I can follow the provided information to make one for myself. Thanks for sharing.
Your comment is like music to my ears, thank you very much 🙂