Were you aware there were three types of meringues? I didn’t either. Each one is similar but uses different methods. They are: Swiss, Italian and French. Today we are going with the Italian meringue.
The Italian Meringue starts out by making a sugar syrup and adding to egg whites. This is a stable foam, very creamy and smooth which makes it an excellent meringue for topping pies or decorating cakes.
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup, plus 2 tbsp. sugar
- 4 egg whites
- Candy thermometer (to check sugar syrup)
While the sugar and water are cooking, beat your egg whites and 2 tbsp. sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
Pour the water and sugar into a small saucepan. Stir to blend and bring it to a boil over high heat and cook for 3 minutes. The thermomter should register 240 degrees. Remove from heat and cover pot with a lid.
When the 240 degrees are reached, now beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, reduce the speed and slowly add the hot syrup into the whites. Beat this until the meringue is cool and VERY stiff.
Note: To make sure you get the best results with your meringue, egg whites should be room temperature. Do not over beat these. Just add a pinch of cream of tartar and this will help stabalize the egg whites.
Great when making Lemon Meringue Pie or tarts. Go for it. Oh yeah, put on a pot of tea and invite a friend or two over.
