Since I seem to be on a baking kick, I’ll post this meringue recipe. I’ve written up recipes before – most recently here, because meringues are something we want to get right. That’s because our ice cream uses only egg yolks, and we hate discarding egg whites. Meringues are also gluten-free, so they have their uses in desserts for people with restricted diets. Hopefully we’ll try to sell meringues in some form in the very near future.
Different people like meringues different ways. Some like them dry and crunchy, others like them crunchy with a somewhat chewy centre. The previous recipes have been the latter, but for making meringue baskets or using them as a base for an ice cream cake, dry is definitely better. Christophe and I have spent a few days in production testing variations in recipes and methods, and here’s our favourite.
(They need a long time in the oven, but good things come to those who wait!)
Murphys Meringues (Dry and Crunchy)
Ingredients:
- 3 medium egg whites
- 130 g sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
What to Do:
- Preheat the oven to 100C.
- Beat the egg whites in a dry glass or stainless steel bowl (if using an electric mixer, do this at medium speed rather than high speed, which will take a bit longer but give the meringues more strength) until foamy.
- Add the lemon juice.
- Continue mixing until they are fairly stiff.
- Beat in the sugar in a slow stream.
- Beat until very stiff and shiny.
- Transfer to a piping bag (or use a couple of spoons) and shape the meringues on a baking tray or silicone mat.
- Bake for 90 minutes.
- Cool on wire racks.
Store in an air-tight container.
Notes:
- If you want to make meringue nests, start in the centre, work out in a tight spiral, then build up the sides.
- Please do follow my instructions about the mixing speed. If you mix them on high, the meringues will not be as strong and could develop unsightly bubbles.
- There are many of things you can add to meringues in terms of flavouring – vanilla essence, almond essence, and cocoa for chocolate meringues are just a few examples. If you do add flavouring, always add it at the end, once the meringues are stiff.
Technorati tags: meringue, recipe, ice cream, dessert, baking
Those are adorable! The ones that have little spiral points look like little caps, or swirly hair, they’re so cute. Too bad there wasn’t a way to make meringue ice cream cones huh? (or is there?!?) That would be cool. Or maybe egg whites could be used to make waffle cones or something. Just a few thoughts on what to do with egg whites….
So cute.
They look truly beautiful 🙂 the new camera must be a good one! I always end up with tons of frozen bags of egg whites after making ice cream…they usually become a pavlova or somesuch.
Ice cream pavlova would be pretty tasty!
Georgeous meringue’s Ciaran!
Laura; thanks for the tip about freezing the whites in bags. How do they come out when you defrost them?
These look so delicate and light. I can’t pipe to save my life, Kieran. 🙂
Thank you for the very explicit instructions on making dry merigues, now I can defrost some of the frozen egg-whites I seem to have collected!
Those meringues are gorgeous!
It was dark when I woke. This is a ray of sunihnse.
hiyah jst wnt 2 know do we have 2 bake the meringues on 100 degrees allthe way through (90 mnts)?