Meringue 101

I love meringue. Meringue is so cool, I want to wax poetic, I want to sing its praises. I mean it. There is something miraculous about the beautiful foam that literally gets whipped into existence when you combine egg whites, sugar, and a good mechanical ass kicking!

If you think of meringue disparagingly, then you probably have two examples that you hold up as evidence against this pastry building block:

1. You have memories of the weeping, sticky, dry-on-top-wet-underneath concoction that perches itself on some lemon meringue pies.
2. You foolishly thought you could eat a whole handful of the tooth-achingly sweet, dry meringue cookies.

And while both are examples of meringue, they do not capture how truly versatile, truly lovely this component is. I contend meringue itself is not the culprit. Rather, the wrong meringue was used for the job. Or, there was no thought put into balancing its inherent sweetness with other things like salt, acid from fresh fruit, or bitterness from chocolate. Meringue is a fundamental building block that requires few ingredients and emphasizes proper technique. Oh yeah, meringue is naturally gluten free. Allow me to list a few desserts that employ meringue:

1. Marjolaine
2. Buttercream Frosting
3. Mousse
4. Baked Alaska
5. Oeufs a la Neige
6. Sorbet
7. Dacquoise
8. Angel Food Cake
9. Semifreddo
10. Vacherin
11. Pavlova
12. Macarons
13. Souffle
14. Nougat
15. Divinity
16. Marshmallows

I could go on.......

French vs. Italian vs. Swiss
No this is not an international struggle. There are the three different types of meringue. All begin with the same ratio of sugar to egg whites so the differences lie in how and when the sugar is added, the resulting texture and possible applications. 

The Everyday Meringue:
French Meringue is probably the most common, most well-known of the trio. And because it is "the easiest" to make, this meringue gets used in applications where it shouldn't.

Technique - Egg whites are beaten until they stretch, take on air, coagulate and form soft peaks. At this point, while still whipping, sugar is slowly incorporated until the mixture reaches full volume. The resulting meringue is soft, airy, light and should be able to hold the whisk when the bowl is turned upside down.

Disadvantages - French meringue is technically "raw" and is considered unsafe to eat at this stage. It is also the least stable and will ultimately begin to break down and weep. These are the two main reasons why this meringue is a poor choice for that pie!

Applications - Since this is an uncooked meringue, it should be used in applications where it will be cooked in some way. It is the meringue of choice for souffle, cake batter, baked applications like pavlova and vacherin, or poached as in oeufs a la neige.

The Heavy Lifter:
Dense, thick, glossy, durable, stable are all words to describe a properly made Italian Meringue. It is consider a "cooked" meringue because the temperature of the egg whites rises above that which is necessary to consider them sanitized.

Technique  - Italian Meringue is made by slowly drizzling rockin' hot sugar syrup into whites that have already been whipped to hold firm peaks. Whipping continues until the meringue is fully voluminous, satiny, stiff, and cool.

Disadvantages - The temperature of the sugar syrup impacts the meringue so different temps may be used in different applications. Because sugary cookery is involved, which some people find scary, dangerous and tricky, this is the only meringue which has high altitude considerations when making it.

Applications - Italian Meringue is the most durable meringue and is perfect as a pie or dessert topping. Yes, now think lemon meringue pie, baked Alaska, etc. Its denser, chewier texture makes it a great choice for folding into mousse and frozen desserts. Finally, this is the most common meringue method used in candy making for things like divinity, nougat, marshmallows, etc. 

The Neutral Position Player:
I find Swiss meringue to be the most versatile of the three. If this meringue had a mantra, it would be "Anything you can do, I can do."

Technique - Swiss Meringue is prepared by gently heating/stirring egg whites and sugar over a double boiler until the mixture reaches 130-140 degrees F and the sugar is fully dissolved. Then the meringue base is removed from heat and whipped on high until thick, glossy peaks form.

Disadvantages - Although unlikely, it is possible to scramble the egg whites if you let the mixture get too hot or aren't paying enough attention to stirring. If you do not keep the edges of the bowl clean while stirring over heat, you can get little crusty bits of cooked egg white in the final meringue.

Applications - Also considered a cooked meringue, it is safe to eat right out of the bowl. It is my preferred meringue for buttercream frosting. And although it is not the perfect choice in every application, it really can be used in just about anything.

Ahhh, I think I might have to go get to whipping!