FRENCH MERINGUE METHOD
Yay! I finished! My article on French meringue is now complete! Finally… I was a little concerned that I might never finish it. Not that writing about French meringue is difficult or anything, but, well... Let's not repeat the situation that is the subject of my thesis.
It's getting a little stale.
Just concentrate on the French meringue, please! The series I wrote about, titled "The Different Kinds of Meringue"—and yes, I'm still proud of that title—has ended with this article. I've written an entire series in the past about pie crusts, buttercream, dulce de leche, and caramelized white chocolate.
Can you tell that I really adore doing series? They are the ideal method for me to indulge my inner geek without having a panic attack, which is what happens to me these days when I try to do nerdy stuff connected to my thesis.
Wait, what? I'm doing it once more! Stupid thesis
I was where? In case you missed it, the first article in this series was on marshmallow-flavored, luscious Swiss Meringue. I talked about the light and fluffy Italian meringue in the second piece of the series.
Go read the first two posts right away if you haven't already. like: immediately! There are significant items there. like the best way to store any remaining yolks...
The least stable type of meringue you can make is French meringue. Italian and Swiss meringue is much more stable and can be stored in the refrigerator for one to two days without disintegrating. On the other hand, French meringue will begin to weep and progressively lose volume.
In other words, the meringue will begin to lose moisture from the egg whites. So bear that in mind if you decide to use this stuff as a cake or pie topping! Swiss meringue is a much superior topping for pies and cakes.
In spite of this, French meringue is the most straightforward to master! In reality, the majority of home bakers pick up the skill of making this meringue without even recognizing what they've just learned. For instance, I discovered how to make this meringue while baking a cake.
Actually, it was a bogus Sacher Torte. I don't quite recall how old I was, but it was probably about 13 or 14. I had to produce a French meringue-style egg white foam with sugar in order to make the cake fluffy and light, and I then folded that foam into the majority of the batter to do so.
Simple, but that's how I learned it! Later, I discovered that I had unintentionally acquired yet another fictitious Tough Cookie badge to display on my floral apron.
And what's this? No elaborate devices, such as phony double boilers or sugar thermometers, are required. Only a bowl and a mixer are required. If you don't have a mixer but truly need meringue, you could even use a whisk. But I still advise you to use the mixer. Improved for your wrists...
And what's this? No elaborate devices, such as phony double boilers or sugar thermometers, are required. Only a bowl and a mixer are required. If you don't have a mixer but truly need meringue, you could even use a whisk. But I still advise you to use the mixer. Improved for your wrists...
However, as I stated, begin with the eggs. Please allow me to state the obvious: the yolks are unnecessary since you only need the whites.
The yolks can subsequently be used to create a variety of delicious dishes! Just to recap: in order to freeze yolks without their being gelatinous and worthless in the freezer, you must first beat them with either salt or sugar, depending on what you intend to do with them later. Check out my page on Swiss Meringue for details on freezing the yolks, including how much sugar or salt to use per egg.
It's crucial to always weigh or measure by volume when working with eggs. Why? Eggs do, in fact, come in a wide range of sizes and forms.
A quail egg and an ostrich egg are not nearly the same things, albeit both are eggs. Use chicken eggs instead of ostrich or quail eggs if you can help it, but you get the idea, right? The size of eggs varies. The quantity of sugar used per egg white is crucial.
And utilizing eggs of the incorrect size might be devastating! For instance, the likelihood is that the sugar won't dissolve into the egg whites if you use little eggs and the amount of sugar specified in this recipe since there isn't enough egg white (or liquid) for the amount of sugar used.
On the other side, you wouldn't have a well-structured meringue since you wouldn't have used enough sugar if you were to use enormous Godzilla eggs (which would be awful) and the amount of sugar specified in this recipe.
Fortunately, you don't have to be very precise about it. Phew… Just be aware that one egg white is customarily weighed at 33g while baking (which is 33 ml, or just over 2 tablespoons in volume).
Therefore, bear that in mind whether choosing to utilize tiny eggs or Godzilla eggs, since the volume, strength, and density of the completed meringue are all influenced by the egg white-to-sugar ratio.
What more is required to produce French meringue, then? That's right, sugar!
The sugar I use isn't perfectly white, as you can see in the picture, which you may have already observed. This is a result of a small amount of molasses being added to it.
Molasses!
Can you believe I just found out about that? I've been using this sugar for months and months, and I didn't realize it contained molasses until just a few minutes ago!
Seeing as how the smaller sugar crystals make it simpler to dissolve into batters and egg whites, I often purchase this specific (organic) sugar.
However, after looking at the pictures in this post, I assumed my devoted readers would be curious about my enigmatic off-white sugar. So, I did some research, and voila!
Molasses! I should have made a guess. It turns out that the minuscule quantity of molasses really imparts a faint caramel flavor to the finished meringue, whether you're creating French, Italian, or Swiss. It tastes good!
So today's advice is to flavor your meringue with a few drops (less than 14 tsp) of molasses if you chance to have a jar of it in your cupboard. It's very wonderful!
However: sugar. It is required to produce meringue. both with and without molasses. French meringue is made using egg whites and between 33g and 66g (or 8 teaspoons and 16 teaspoons) of sugar. Your choice as to how much sugar to use is entirely your own.
Just bear in mind that a larger sugar concentration will result in a denser and less voluminous final meringue. Additionally, it will be more difficult to overbeat, and baking the meringue will provide crispier meringue kisses or cookies.
On the other side, a decreased sugar level results in a lighter, more voluminous, and simpler to fold into recipe meringue. However, keep in mind that it's also simpler to overpower!
The process of making meringue involves pounding air into liquid egg whites, as I detailed in my essay on Swiss meringue. A large quantity of bubbles is produced when the liquid egg whites spread out to create thin bubble walls that trap the air.
A sugar-free egg white foam will rapidly lose volume and begin to leak since egg whites on their own are not particularly stable. The foam becomes more stable when sugar is introduced.
You see, when sugar is added to the liquid egg whites, it dissolves and the egg whites and sugar combine to make a thick, syrupy liquid.
The bubble walls in the ensuing meringue are strengthened by the thick, sugar-egg white syrup, making it less likely for it to leak or lose volume. In other words, when it comes to meringues, sugar equals solidity.
Or should I say that stability is implied by dissolved sugar?
Only when the sugar has been dissolved in the liquid egg whites can it reinforce the bubble walls. Also known as It's also crucial that the sugar completely dissolves into the egg whites while producing meringue.
When making a Swiss meringue, you combine the sugar and egg whites in a bowl and slowly heat the mixture over a double boiler to dissolve the sugar.
The sugar melts flawlessly thanks to the heat. The sugar is dissolved in water and cooked into syrup while making Italian meringue. So there were no crystals of undissolved sugar in the meringue either! This leads me to the issue with French meringue: the sugar isn't first dissolved.
This can result in a variety of issues, including a gritty or weepy meringue. Therefore, it's crucial that the sugar has a chance to thoroughly dissolve if you want to end up with a meringue that is well-structured and won't start leaking!
Now, you could just wing it with the sugar you have on hand, but it would be really simple to take a few precautions and guarantee that your meringue turns out beautifully.
Get hold of a fine-grained, small-crystal variety of granulated sugar first. Most shops sell fine granulated sugar, but you can also use a food processor to reduce the size of your standard granulated sugar crystals.
When making French meringue, I also like to spread the sugar out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and heat it in the oven until the edges are just starting to melt.
Yes, this requires turning on your oven, but in my opinion, it is totally worthwhile! It really helps to dissolve the sugar and create a gorgeously glossy, fluffy meringue!
Oh, and resist the want to use icing sugar or powdered sugar. To prevent caking in the container, a small quantity of cornstarch is typically added to these sugars. That should not be in your meringue.
Here is my method. My already-fine sugar is first heated in the oven. I put my egg whites in a medium-sized basin and began using the mixer in the interim. Since I only have a handheld mixer, I use that, but if you have a stand mixer, you may use that instead.
Whip the whites until soft peaks form. You had a good guess, didn't you? Perhaps the image up there played a role in it? You'll get a voluminous, light, fluffy meringue if you beat the whites until they retain soft peaks.
However, the final meringue will be much thicker and less voluminous since the sugar weighs the meringue down. You may alternatively produce meringue by adding the sugar to the bowl with the unbeaten egg whites. Swiss meringue is less voluminous and denser than Italian or French meringue because of this.
So before adding the sugar, beat those whites until they form soft peaks! It ought should simply take a little while. Keep an eye on the sugar in the meantime.
You don't want it to melt or turn to caramel. A hefty spoonful of the heated sugar should be added to the meringue at a time, while the mixture is being continually mixed, as soon as the corners of the sugar begin to appear to be melting. After roughly 7 minutes of additional mixing, the dish is ready! French meringue that is lovely and shiny!
(Parfait, the French word meaning "perfect")
Oh, wait, make sure there aren't any remaining sugar crystals by rubbing some meringue between your fingers. There shouldn't be any grit in the meringue.
Crystals of undissolved sugar encourage crying. Therefore, mix for a few more minutes if the meringue seems gritty. The meringue will probably keep strong peaks after it is smooth, making it ideal for piping kisses or nests!
Even though I've covered a lot of ground in this essay, there are still a few additional details concerning this meringue that you should be aware of.
First off, there is little danger of salmonella because there are raw eggs in this meringue, making it unsafe to give to young children under the age of five, the elderly, ill individuals, or pregnant women. You may lick the bowl clean if you are older than five, healthy, and not expecting! It's completely secure.
Just be mindful of people at risk. Or, you know, those with ridiculous fears about eating raw eggs...Naturally, pasteurized egg whites can also be used to produce this meringue, and baking is always an option. These disadvantaged populations can consume it with confidence because of this.
In any case, if you're not afraid of raw eggs and don't intend to serve this meringue to young children, expectant women, the elderly, or ill individuals, it's perfect for anything!
Put it over cakes, pies, or desserts, bake it into tasty chocolate swirl meringues or small kisses, use it to lighten mousses or cake batter, poach it to create île flottante, or sandwich cookies together! Everything works!
Just remember to consume it the same day you create it if you choose to serve or use it "raw" (as a filling, in a mousse, or on top of a pie).
Keep in mind that this type of meringue is the least stable. Choose Swiss or Italian meringue if you want a meringue you can prepare it days in advance. French meringue will eventually begin to cry.
INGREDIENTS
- Egg whites, 100 ml (about 1/3 cup plus 4 tablespoons) (about 3 large egg whites)
- 180 grams, or 3/4 cup plus 7 teaspoons, of granulated sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Start by preparing a deep baking sheet with parchment paper and preheating the oven to 200°C/390°F (normal oven setting). If the sugar you're using is very coarse, put it in a food processor bowl and pulse until it's fine.
Bake for 3-5 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to melt, after pouring the sugar onto the prepared baking sheet. The sugar is heated to aid in its incorporation into the egg whites.
Place the egg whites in a medium basin and place the sugar in the oven. Make sure there is no oil in the bowl or on the whisk attachments of the mixer.
The egg whites should be beaten until soft peaks form.
The sugar ought to be prepared by now. After taking the baking sheet out of the oven, add the hot sugar to the egg whites while continually mixing.
After adding all the sugar, continue beating the meringue until firm peaks form and you can no longer feel sugar crystals when you rub some meringue between your fingertips (this should take about 5-8 minutes).
Use as you like.
Comments
Post a Comment