Indulge in the delectable world of Italian meringue, a culinary delight that adds a touch of elegance and sweetness to desserts and beverages. Italian meringue, also known as boiled meringue, is a luscious, glossy, and stable meringue made by heating sugar syrup and egg whites to a specific temperature, creating a smooth and creamy texture. Unlike its French and Swiss counterparts, Italian meringue can withstand higher temperatures, making it perfect for baking and torching. This versatile ingredient can be used to create a variety of desserts, from classic meringues and macarons to intricate decorations and fillings. Dive into our collection of Italian meringue recipes and explore the endless possibilities of this culinary treasure.
**Recipes:**
1. **Classic Italian Meringue:** Master the art of creating a simple yet elegant Italian meringue, perfect for topping pies, tarts, and other desserts.
2. **Italian Meringue Buttercream:** Elevate your cakes and cupcakes with this rich and creamy buttercream, made with Italian meringue and butter, resulting in a light and fluffy texture that melts in your mouth.
3. **Italian Meringue Macarons:** Discover the secrets of crafting delicate and colorful macarons, filled with a variety of ganaches and jams, using Italian meringue as the base for the iconic cookie shells.
4. **Italian Meringue Pavlova:** Impress your guests with this stunning dessert, featuring a crispy meringue base topped with whipped cream and fresh berries, creating a symphony of textures and flavors.
5. **Italian Meringue Kisses:** Delight in these bite-sized treats, made by piping Italian meringue into small mounds and baking them until they are crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
6. **Italian Meringue Torte:** Indulge in this impressive layered dessert, featuring alternating layers of Italian meringue, whipped cream, and ladyfingers, resulting in a decadent and visually appealing creation.
7. **Italian Meringue Roulade:** Experience the joy of creating a delicate meringue roulade, filled with a variety of fillings such as whipped cream, fruit, or ganache, rolled up into an elegant and delicious dessert.
BASIC ITALIAN MERINGUE
Italian meringue's unwavering stability allows the resulting desserts to be finished in the oven, frozen, or torched to dramatic effect. Use this to make our Lemon Meringue Semifreddi and Neapolitan Baked Alaskas.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes
Yield Makes 2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Bring sugar, water, and corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook, undisturbed, until syrup registers 248 degrees on a candy thermometer.
- Meanwhile, whisk whites with a mixer on low speed until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar. Increase speed to medium, and whisk until soft peaks form, about 8 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low, and pour hot syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Increase speed to high, and beat until mixture stops steaming, about 3 minutes. Use immediately.
BASIC ITALIAN MERINGUE RECIPE
Steps:
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over high heat, stirring only until it comes to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, stop stirring. Cook until sugar syrup registers 240°F (115°C) on an instant-read or candy thermometer. Brush down sides of pot as necessary with a pastry brush dipped in water.
- Meanwhile, combine egg whites and cream of tartar or lemon juice in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (see note). Set mixer to medium speed and mix until soft peaks form (when lifted, the head of the mixer should form gentle peaks in the egg whites that very slowly collapse back into themselves), about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer running, carefully and slowly drizzle in hot sugar syrup. (Hot sugar is just as dangerous as fryer oil, so use caution!) Increase speed to high and whip until desired stiffness is achieved. Soft peaks are often used to aerate mousses, for example, while a stiff peak is best for buttercream.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 132 kcal, Carbohydrate 25 g, Cholesterol 93 mg, Fiber 0 g, Protein 3 g, SaturatedFat 1 g, Sodium 36 mg, Sugar 25 g, Fat 2 g, ServingSize Makes about 4 cups meringue, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
ITALIAN MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM
I use this creamy Italian meringue buttercream on my lemon-raspberry cupcakes. It's not as sweet as American buttercream, so it really complements the sweetness of the cupcakes. —Katelyn Craft, Stamford, New York
Provided by Taste of Home
Time 45m
Yield 4 cups.
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- In a small heavy saucepan, combine 3/4 cups sugar sugar and water. Bring to a boil; cook over medium-high heat until a thermometer reads 250° (hard-ball stage), 8 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, using a stand mixer, beat egg whites in a large bowl on high speed until foamy. Gradually add remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high after each addition until sugar is dissolved and soft peaks form. , Slowly pour hot sugar syrup over egg whites while beating continuously. Continue beating on high until mixture cools to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes., Gradually add butter, a few tablespoons at a time, beating on medium after each addition until smooth. Beat in vanilla.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 63 calories, Fat 6g fat (4g saturated fat), Cholesterol 15mg cholesterol, Sodium 1mg sodium, Carbohydrate 3g carbohydrate (3g sugars, Fiber 0 fiber), Protein 0 protein.
ITALIAN MERINGUE
Steps:
- In a small pot over low heat, combine sugar and water. Swirl the pot over the burner to dissolve the sugar completely. Do not stir. Increase the heat and boil to soft-ball stage (235 to 240 degrees). Use a candy thermometer for accuracy. Wash down the inside wall of the pot with a wet pastry brush. This will help prevent sugar crystals from forming around the sides, falling in and causing a chain reaction. Prepare your meringue.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the eggs whites on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium, and beat until soft peaks form.
- With the mixer running, pour the hot sugar syrup in a thin stream over fluffed egg whites. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy. Spread the meringue over a hot cake or pie, and bake as directed.
- For Meringue Cloud Cookies: Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Dollop spoonfuls of meringue onto baking pans, alternatively you may use a pastry bag with a star tip. Bake for 2 hours until crisp. Turn off the oven and allow meringues to cool and completely dry out.
ITALIAN MERINGUE (MAGNIFICENT PIE MERINGUE)
This very stable meringue is incredibly versatile - it makes magnificent billowy white peaks to brown as you wish. It is a large recipe - 6 egg whites - so that you have an abundance of this great meringue. Of course, you can easily halve this recipe.
Provided by Shirley O. Corriher
Categories Dessert Soufflé/Meringue Egg Vanilla Vegetarian Dairy Free Wheat/Gluten-Free Soy Free Peanut Free Tree Nut Free
Yield Makes enough meringue for two 9-inch (23-cm) pies or one "Mile-High" meringue
Number Of Ingredients 9
Steps:
- Place a shelf in the middle of the oven. Place a baking stone on it and preheat oven to 375°F/191°C.
- In a small saucepan, heat the cornstarch and ⅓ cup (79 ml) cool water over medium heat, stirring steadily with a whisk until thick and cloudy. Reserve until needed.
- Read Egg-White Foams and Meringues At a Glance (see below). Follow precautions - scrupulously clean bowl and beater.
- In a mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form when the beater is lifted. Add in ¼ cup (1.8 oz/50 g) sugar and continue to beat.
- In a heavy unlined saucepan, stir together remaining 1¾ cups (12.3 oz/347 g) of the sugar, the corn syrup, and ½ cup (118 ml) water. Bring to a boil, rinse down the sides of the pan with the water on a pastry brush. Attach a candy thermometer to the saucepan, and continue to boil the syrup until it reaches 248°F/120°C (hard-ball stage).
- Continue beating whites until stiff peaks form. Ideally, have the whites stiff when the syrup reaches 248°F/120°C. Rinse a 2-cup (473 ml) heatproof glass measuring cup with a spout with the hottest tap water and dry well. When the syrup reaches 248°F/120°C, carefully pour the syrup into the cup. Drizzle the hot sugar syrup into the meringue while beating on medium speed. Try to avoid drizzling the syrup on the beaters or the sides of the bowl. The meringue will swell dramatically and fill the whole bowl. Beat until the meringue has cooled, about 10 to 13 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and salt, then beat in about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the reserved cornstarch paste, 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time. The meringue is essentially cooked but it is still snow white. It is the perfect palette for a masterpiece.
- Spread the meringue on the pie. Place the pie in the middle of the oven and bake for about 10 minutes - just until the ridges are brown - then remove from the oven and touch up with a blowtorch as desired. (I think that you have to be very experienced to brown a meringue with a blowtorch alone. It is easier to bake just until you start getting color on the ridges, then pull out of the oven and touch up with the blowtorch.)
- Egg-White Foams and Meringues At a Glance
- What to do? Use scrupulously clean bowl and beaters for egg whites. Use fresh egg whites. Why? Any oil or grease will wreck an egg-white foam.
- What to do? Use room-temperature eggs. Why? Warmer eggs are easier to separate. The length of time it takes to beat egg whites is inversely related to how cold the whites are. The colder the whites, the longer the beating time.
- What to do? Separate the eggs using the three-bowl method. Why? Even a trace of egg yolk will deflate an egg-white foam.
- What to do? Use a copper bowl or add ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar per egg white. Why? To get a more stable foam that will hold up better in cooking.
- What to do? For meringues, add the sugar when soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Be sure to add sugar then-do not wait until too late. Why? Adding sugar too early reduces the volume and increases beating time. If you wait too late to add sugar, meringue can dry out and will not expand.
- What to do? Do not overbeat egg whites. Beat them only until they are still moist and slip a little in the bowl. Why? Overbeaten egg-white foams become dry and rigid and will not expand in a hot oven.
- What to do? Stir tapioca starch into the sugar or make a cornstarch paste and beat in the paste after adding the sugar. Why? Starch prevents the meringue's shrinking when baked and prevents tearing when the meringue is cut.
QUICK ITALIAN MERINGUE
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes
Yield Makes 2 cups
Number Of Ingredients 7
Steps:
- Bring sugar, water, and corn syrup to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook, undisturbed, until syrup registers soft-ball stage (238 degrees) on a candy thermometer.
- Meanwhile, whisk egg whites with a mixer on low speed until foamy. Add salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla. Increase speed to medium, and whisk until soft peaks form, about 8 minutes.
- Reduce speed to low, and pour hot syrup down side of bowl in a slow, steady stream. Increase speed to high, and beat until mixture stops steaming, about 3 minutes. Use immediately.
Tips:
- Use the freshest eggs possible: Older eggs will not whip up as well and may be more likely to contain bacteria.
- Make sure your bowl and whisk are completely clean and free of grease: Any residue can prevent the meringue from whipping up properly.
- Whip the egg whites gradually, starting on low speed and increasing to high: This will help to incorporate air into the egg whites and create a stiff meringue.
- Continue whipping until the meringue is glossy and forms stiff peaks: The meringue is ready when it holds its shape when you lift the whisk out of the bowl.
- Do not overbeat the meringue: Overbeaten meringue will be dry and crumbly.
- Use Italian meringue immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours: Italian meringue is best used fresh, but it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Conclusion:
Italian meringue is a delicious and versatile ingredient that can be used in a variety of desserts, from pies and cakes to mousses and ice creams. With a little practice, you can easily make Italian meringue at home. Just follow these tips and you'll be sure to create a perfect meringue every time.
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