Meringue Cuite Food

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.

MERINGUE CUITE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees.
• Line large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the baking sheet in the oven to warm while you are making the meringue.
• Make a hot water bath by placing a medium sized, grease-free metal or glass bowl snuggly over a pan of hot water.
• Beat the egg whites in the bowl at a slow steady speed. When they are foamy add the cream of tartar. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and when the meringue will form soft peaks, add the extract and increase to a medium beating speed. Beat for another 4-6 minutes, until the meringue forms firm peaks when the beaters are lifted.
• Fill the pastry bag while the meringue is still warm.
• Remove the warm baking sheet from the oven and adhear the parchment down with dots of meringue.
• Pipe out desired decoration. Bake at 200 degrees for about 45 minutes until the pieces feel firm and dry when gently squeezed.

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.

SWISS MERINGUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper
• In a large grease-free mixing bowl beat the egg whites at a slow steady speed. When they are foamy add the cream of tartar. Gradually add the sugar. When the meringue begins to form soft peaks, increase to a moderate beating speed.
• Beat another 5-8 minutes, until the meringue is thick, but still glossy, and forms firm peaks when the beaters are lifted.
• Adhear the parchment paper to the cookie sheet with dots of meringue.
• Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with desired tip. Keep designs simple as these pieces are delicate and will shatter easily. Bake small pieces about 15 minutes and thicker pieces 15-20 minutes.