SERVES 4. A meringue is such a versatile dessert base: it can be used to make pavlova, which can hold many different fruits and fillings. Drizzle it with melted chocolate to vary the base, or make into small, individual meringues and serve them as cakes. The meringue itself can also be made into an Eton Mess, where it is broken up and mixed with cream and chopped strawberries or raspberries. The secret of making successful meringue is to use a grease-free bowl. The way I make sure of this is by wiping half a lemon around the bowl before using it, then wiping it again with kitchen paper. Bake the meringue on silicone paper to ensure that it doesn’t stick.
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3 egg whites serves about 4 people (you can use the ones left over from the zabaglione recipe for this)
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For every egg white, use 55g caster sugar
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Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2.
Step 2:
Place the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl and whisk until they form peaks. This should take about 3–4 minutes.
Step 3:
Add the sugar 2 tablespoons at a time and whisk in.
Step 4:
When all the sugar is whisked in, the meringue should be glossy and firm.
Step 5:
Place a sheet of silicone paper on a baking sheet; a little of the meringue mixture underneath will help the paper stay in place.
Step 6:
Using a metal tablespoon, spoon the mixture onto the baking sheet, forming it into a circle about 20cm in diameter. Put more spoonfuls around the edge of the circle to raise the sides if you’re making a pavlova.
Step 7:
Just before putting the meringue in the oven, turn the heat down to 140°C/gas mark 1. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the heat, but leave the meringue inside to dry out in the cooling oven.
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