Meringue
Alternative names |
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Type | Dessert |
Place of origin | France |
Associated cuisine | Swiss, French, Italian, Polish |
Main ingredients | Egg whites, sugar |
Meringue (
They are light, airy and sweet confections. Homemade meringues are often chewy and soft with a crisp exterior, while many commercial meringues are crisp throughout. A uniform crisp texture may be achieved at home by baking at a low temperature (80–90 °C or 176–194 °F) for an extended period of up to two hours.
History
The Oxford English Dictionary states that the French word is of unknown origin. The name meringue for this confection first appeared in print in François Massialot's cookbook of 1692.[3] The word meringue first appeared in English in 1706 in a translation of Massialot's book. The first documented recipes recognizable as meringues are found in two considerably earlier 17th-century English manuscript books of recipes which give instructions for confections called "white biskit bread" in the book of recipes written in 1604 by Elinor Fettiplace (c. 1570 – c. 1647) of Gloucestershire[4] and called "pets" in the manuscript of collected recipes written by Lady Rachel Fane (1612/13 – 1680) of Knole, Kent.[5] Slowly baked meringues are still referred to as "pets" in the Loire region of France due to their light and fluffy texture.[6]
Meringues were traditionally shaped between two large spoons, as they are generally at home today. Meringue piped through a
Types
There are several types of meringue: the sweetened, beaten egg whites that form the "islands" of floating island (also known in French as île flottante); the partly cooked toppings of lemon meringue pie and other meringue-topped desserts; and the classic dry featherweight meringue. Different preparation techniques produce these results.
- French meringue, or basic meringue, is the method best known to home cooks. Fine caster sugar) is beaten into egg whites.
- Italian meringue was invented by the sugar syrup, instead of caster sugar. This creates a much more stable soft meringue which can be used in various pastries without collapsing. In an Italian meringue, a hot sugar syrup is whipped into softly whipped egg whites until stiff, and until the meringue becomes cool. It will not deflate for a long while and can be either used for decoration on pie, or spread on a sheet or baked Alaskabase and baked.
- Swiss meringue is whisked over a bain-marie to warm the egg whites, and then whisked steadily until it cools. This forms a dense, glossy marshmallow-like meringue. It is usually then baked.
- Vegan meringue is imitation meringue made using aquafaba with a small dose of vinegar and caster sugar. It holds similar characteristics to that of egg-based meringue, but it will quickly burn if torched or baked incorrectly. Another variation uses potato protein instead of aquafaba.
Chemistry
Protein distribution in egg whites is as follows: (54%)
When beating egg whites, they are classified in three stages according to the peaks they form when the beater is lifted: soft, firm, and stiff peaks.
Egg whites and sugar are both
Compound interactions
There are three main ingredients in a meringue recipe that interact to form the foam structure: egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar or acid. The backbone of the foam structure is made up of proteins, amino acid chains. Egg whites provide the meringue with necessary proteins that form the meringue foam. The proteins are originally oriented in a tangled ball but must be uncoiled into strands; this is referred to as denaturation. There are two ways a protein can be denatured: through physical or chemical process. When forming a meringue the egg whites are beat until the proteins are denatured—a physical process. Also by beating the egg whites, air is incorporated into the protein structure creating an air–water protein mixture interface. The friction from beating the eggs adds heat to the process, which causes the proteins to increase in elasticity. As the proteins are being stretched during the denaturation process they are also coagulating together forming a protein network. After the denaturation process the egg whites will become six to eight times their original size. If the proteins are beat for too long they will become stretched out too far and become too weak to support the foam structure.[10]
The cream of tartar also acts as a catalyst affecting the sugar structure. Sucrose is a disaccharide made up of glucose and fructose. Cream of tartar inverts the sugar during the baking process, meaning the molecule is split into two parts containing glucose and fructose. This prevents the sugar from recrystallizing and giving the meringue a gritty, undesirable texture.[12]
Sugar is the final ingredient that is used to help form and stabilize the foam structure. Sugar is
After a strong protein network has formed a complete foam, the meringue is ready to be baked. Adding heat to the mixture is the final step to strengthen the foam structure. The meringue must be baked at a low temperature for a long period of time. This allows the proteins to finish coagulating, strengthening the meringue evenly throughout. If the proteins are not baked evenly, the bottom of the meringue will not be able to support the structural weight, causing the meringue to collapse. The heat causes the air bubbles to expand, creating an airier structure. The water in the structure evaporates, causing the meringue to become lighter with a stronger foam structure. It is important to not evaporate all of the water out of the meringue, as some water is necessary to hold the foam together.[13]
Uses
Cookies
Meringue cookies are baked at a very low heat for a long time.
Desserts
Meringue can be used as the basis for various desserts including
Another dish is meringue de angel, which consists of
-
Pavlova, a meringue-based dessert of New Zealandand Australian origin
-
Lemon meringue pie with browned meringue peaks
Embellishment
Meringue may be used for embellishment. It can be formed into whimsical shapes, such as mushrooms, or piped into a crisp basket that is baked and filled with cake, fruit, or flowers.
Shelf life
Meringue is not a stable structure and has a short shelf life of about two weeks if stored properly. Meringue is a
Storing meringues in an airtight container will prevent humidity from affecting the sugar. It is also recommended to store the meringue in a cooler area. If the meringue is stored in these conditions, its shelf life will be about two weeks. To extend the shelf life up to about three months, the meringue can be stored in the freezer. The colder temperatures in the freezer decrease the humidity. The meringue should still be stored in an airtight container, preventing water from affecting the meringue.[19]
Nutritional content
The principal nutritional components are protein from the egg whites and simple carbohydrates from the refined sugar.
See also
Notes and references
- ISBN 978-0-19-860575-1.
- ISBN 978-0-19-931339-6.
- ^ Massialot (1692). "XXVIII: Des Meringues & Macarons". Nouvelle instruction pour les confitures, les liqueurs et les fruits (in French). Paris: Charles de Sercy. pp. 186–188noted by Muster (ref.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Fettiplace, Eleanor Poole (1994). Hilary Spurling (ed.). Elinor Fettiplace's Receipt Book. Translated by John Spurling. Bristol: Stuart Pressnoted by Muster (ref.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Barry, Michael (1995). Old English Recipes. Jarrod (archived at the Centre for Kentish Studies, Maidstone, Kent). p. 64f.
- ^ Alcock, Barry (2003). Jeremy, Caroline (ed.). Green & Black's Chocolate Recipes. (Kyle Cathie Ltd. p. 101.
- ^ Kelly, Ian (2003). Cooking for Kings: the life of Antonin Carême, the first celebrity chef. pp. 60, 225.
- S2CID 96631357.
- ^ )
- ^ "Food for Today". 2017. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "Baffling Beaters" (PDF). Institute of Food Technologists. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ "Cream of tartar". MadFoodScience.com. April 4, 2011. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ a b "Demystifying Meringue". Food for Today. 2017. Archived from the original on January 19, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "Meringue Cookies". yummy-coffee-and-food.com. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ^ Good Food. "Forgotten cookies". bbcgoodfood.com. BBC Worldwide. Archived from the original on 2019-03-30. Retrieved 2013-06-19.
- ^ "Meringue Kisses". Archived from the original on November 27, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "Crème de Gruyère". Culinary Heritage of Switzerland. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ Christensen, E. (May 5, 2008). "Quick Tip: How To Keep Meringue Crispy". Archived from the original on November 29, 2017. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Watts, Tiffany (November 1, 2017). "3 Simple Steps on How to Store Meringues". Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
External links
- The dictionary definition of meringue at Wiktionary
- Douglas Muster, "The Origins and History of Meringue"
- Meringues in the online Culinary Heritage of Switzerland database.