Good Meringue Recipes

Steps:

• Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until frothy.
• Gradually beat sugar a little at a time.
• Continue beating until stiff and glassy. Don't underbeat.
• Beat until all sugar is dissolved.
• Beat in flavoring (optional).
• Pile meringue onto hot pie filling, being careful to seal meringue onto edge of crust to prevent shrinking and weeping.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes until delicately browned.

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture forms stiff peaks.

Steps:

• Whip whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar and whip until very, very stiff, about 5 minutes. On low speed gradually add powdered sugar and whip 10 seconds. Do not over mix!
• With a large star tip pipe onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan either finger shapes or round rosettes. Let dry overnight over a hot oven or place in a 200 degree oven for 4 hours.
• Whip cream with sugar until stiff. Pipe whipped cream on finger shaped meringue and top with another finger to form a sandwich. Tuck sliced fruit and mint leaves into cream laying meringue on its side. For rosette meringues, pipe cream on top an place fruit and mint leaves on cream.

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.

Steps:

• 1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
• 2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or foil. On each, draw 10 4-inch circles.
• 3. Mix the sugars and set aside.
• 4. In a bowl or electric mixer, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Continue to beat, adding 1 tablespoon of sugar at a time and beating well after each addition. This will take about 10 minutes.
• 5. Add the vanilla and beat at high speed until stiff and glossy.
• 6. Using a pastry tube fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the meringue in coils starting at the center and continuing to the outside of each circle.
• 7. Bake about 1 hour, until cream colored and firm. Leave the meringues in the turned-off oven for several hours or overnight without opening the oven door.
• 8. When ready to serve, carefully peel away the paper or foil.

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.