Brown Sugar Meringue Food

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and aromatic, about 8 minutes. Shake the pan halfway through baking to make sure the nuts toast evenly. Remove from oven; cool. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees. Line two 11-by-17-inch baking sheets with parchment; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, 3 minutes.
• Transfer the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, whip mixture until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix to combine. Remove bowl from mixer, and fold in the toasted almonds.
• Place 1/3-cup ovals of meringue on prepared baking sheets, about 6 per sheet. Bake 1 hour. Turn off heat; dry meringues in oven overnight. Store between layers of parchment in an airtight container in a cool, dry place up to 3 days.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 120C. Have ready 2 baking sheets lined with baking paper. Sift the brown sugar into a bowl and set aside. Beat the eggwhites until soft peaks form. Add the castor sugar in 3 lots, beating until the whites are glossy and thick. With motor still running, steadily "rain" in the brown sugar as if it was polenta. Spoon tablespoon blobs of meringue onto the trays, leaving space between. Smooth tops if you like. I like the little swirls and peaks from the spoon, so please yourself. If you are going to fill them with caramel cream later it is a good idea to shape the mounds with a definite hollow in the centre. Bake for about 50 minutes until firm. Turn oven off and prop door open with a wooden spoon or similar and leave until meringues are quite cold. Store in an airtight container. Makes 16 meringues. This recipes is featured in the book, Autumn which is available now in all good bookstores RRP $34.95. To order direct call 1300 656 059 or visit www.smh.com.au/store

BASIC BROWN SUGAR MERINGUE

Steps:

• Serve and enjoy.

MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Place the egg whites and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use a hand mixer); beat on medium speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium high; beat in the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, then add the extract or zest. Continue beating until the meringue is thick, glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 6 minutes.
• For colored cookies, swirl a few drops of food coloring into the meringue or use a small paintbrush to paint 3 long stripes of food coloring up the inside of a pastry bag. For chocolate chip versions, gently fold the mini chocolate chips into the mixture.
• Drop or pipe the meringue as desired, about 2 inches apart, on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, if desired. Bake 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let the meringues stand in the oven until dry, about 2 hours. Top with or dip in melted chocolate and sprinkle with nonpareils.

BROWN SUGAR PECAN MERINGUES

Steps:

• First, mix both sugars, set aside. Whip whites on med. up to a soft peak. Add sugars one tablespoon at a time, while mixing. When all sugar is added, turn on high and whip to a stiff peak. Fold in pecans and vanilla. Drop by spoonfulls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Smooth with the back of the spoon into rounds a half to 3/4 inches thick. Bake at 300 for 30-40 minutes or until dry and a light golden brown. Makes 24 big cookies.

BROWN SUGAR SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Put egg whites, sugar, and salt into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture registers 160 degrees, about 4 minutes.
• Beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition (meringue will deflate slightly as butter is added). Beat until frosting is smooth and glossy, 3 to 5 minutes.

BLOOD ORANGE BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: On a lightly floured surface, and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan (not deep dish); fold the edges over and crimp them together. Prick crust all over with a fork and chill in freezer for 30 minutes until frozen. (Cover with plastic if freezing for longer than a few hours. Well wrapped, it will last in the freezer for up to a month.)
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line chilled crust with foil, fill with pie weights or dried rice, then bake for 12 minutes. Remove foil, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until pale golden, 10 to 16 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack to cool while you prepare the filling. (Leave the oven on if baking the pie immediately.)
• In a heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, egg and sugar. Stir in the orange and lemon juices, zest and salt. Add pieces of butter and cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 7 to 9 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should register 180 degrees. Inspect the filling: If you think there are any coagulated bits of egg, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
• Pour filling into pie crust and return to the oven to bake until filling is set (it should jiggle only slightly in the center), about 18 to 40 minutes. (Pies prepared in glass and ceramic dishes can take much longer to bake than those prepared in metal dishes. Don't give up: The curd will eventually set.) Remove pie from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees for baking the meringue.
• As the filling bakes, make the meringue: Fill a medium pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Using a large metal bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl with the egg white mixture into the pot above the water, and whisk constantly by hand until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm (160 degrees on an instant thermometer) and has thickened and lightened in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat.
• Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-low speed and gradually increase speed to high, until mixture is thick, fluffy and stiff peaks form, about 5 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat.
• Spread the meringue over the hot filling, making sure it meets the edges of the crust. Using a knife or spatula, swirl in a design if you like, and bake until lightly browned, about 8 to 12 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely and top with more orange zest before serving.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUES WITH GOOSEBERRY COMPOTE & CREAM

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment and heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. For the meringues, put the egg whites and lemon juice in a large clean bowl (metal or ceramic is best) and whisk with hand beaters until the whites stand in stiff peaks, but are not at all dry or fluffy around the edges.
• Add 1 tbsp of the sugar and whisk again until the whites return to stiff. Repeat until all the sugar has been used and the meringue is thick and glossy. Sprinkle in the hazelnuts; don't stir.
• Spoon 8 blobs of the meringue onto the lined baking sheet, aiming for something roughly egg- or rugby ball-shaped. As you push the meringue off the spoon, the hazelnut will ripple its way through the mixture. Make a small dip in the top of each meringue, ready to hold the cream and fruit later. Bake for 1¼ hrs or until pale golden and crisp. Leave to cool in the oven with the door ajar.
• For the compote, gently heat everything together in a pan until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 3 mins or until the fruit collapses but is still recognisable. Cool. Assemble meringues just before eating: whip the cream and use to top the meringues, then add spoonfuls of compote. Any leftover compote will keep in the fridge for a week or two.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUES WITH RED WINE PLUMS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Blend together the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla to make a paste. Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy, then whisk in the sugar in three goes, adding a little paste and whisking back to firm peaks each time. Keep whisking until the meringue is thick and heavy.
• Spoon six meringue heaps onto the baking sheet, spaced apart, then shape into nests by making dips in the centres with the back of a spoon. Bake for 1 hr, then turn off the oven and leave to cool in the oven for a further hr.
• Put the wine, sugar and cinnamon stick in a medium pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the plums, then poach gently for 4-5 mins until just tender. Remove the plums with a slotted spoon, peel off the skins, then set aside.
• Increase the heat under the sauce and boil hard until reduced to a thick syrup, about 5 mins. Pour into a jug; leave to cool.
• To serve, set the meringue nests on serving plates and spoon the crème fraîche into the centres. Place three plum halves on each and drizzle over the sauce. Serve without delay.

BROWN SUGAR DELIGHT

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a saucepan, combine egg yolks, brown sugar and flour. Mix in the cream. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Pour into pre-baked pie shell.
• In a large glass or metal mixing bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Gradually add white sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, covering completely.
• Bake in preheated oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until meringue starts to brown.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• In pie shell, stir in with your fingers the 4 egg yolks.
• Pour the evaporated milk over the yolks.
• Stir in, with your fingers, the vanilla. In a seperate bowl, mix the brown sugar with the flour and salt, and sprinkle it into the yolk/milk mixture. Do not stir!
• Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the custard is done (sometimes takes longer than 1 hour). When almost done, beat the reserved egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until glossy and all sugar is dissolved.
• Spread meringue over hot pie, sealing to the edges and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until meringue is golden.