Jorge Castillo: A merenguito or merengue is just a mixture of beaten egg whites whipped with sugar.
Glenn Lindgren: Many cooks use cream of tartar to help stiffen the mixture. We've had good luck without it.
Jorge Castillo: We have two recipes for meringues. One uses sugar and no cream of tartar. The other uses cream of tartar and a hot sugar syrup.
Glenn Lindgren: We've had good results with both, however the hot syrup method produces meringues that are very similar to the "Tostaditos" brand.
Jorge Castillo: It is vital that you separate the eggs properly. Just a bit of yolk in with the whites can really make a mess of the whole project!
Meringues are like the topping of a lemon pie, only drier and puffier.
INGREDIENTS:
4 large egg whites, room temperatureAdd cream of tartar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Stop beating.
Combine sugar and water in small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. With a candy thermometer, bring the liquid to the soft ball stage: 238° F.
Set mixer on medium speed and pour hot syrup into egg whites in a slow, steady stream. Beat until mixture is completely cool and shiny – about six to eight minutes.
If you have a pastry bag, fill it with the mixture. Use one of those fancy tips that came with the pastry bag and squeeze out three-inch circles onto your baking parchment. If you don't have a pastry bag, use a spoon - not as fancy, but it works.
Bake meringues at 200° F for approximately two hours. The meringues should be dry and crispy – not brown.
Add a pinch of salt and continue to beat. Add a small amount of sugar at a time until you've incorporated all of the sugar into the mixture. The mixture should be very firm - "stiff peak" stage. Turn off beater and fold in one additional tablespoon of sugar with a spatula.
If you have a pastry bag, fill it with the mixture. Use one of those fancy tips that came with the pastry bag and squeeze out three-inch circles onto your baking parchment. If you don't have a pastry bag, use a spoon - not as fancy, but it works.
Bake meringues at 200° F for approximately two hours. The meringues should be dry and crispy – not brown.
ISBN: 1423600630, Copyright ©2006
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