Contents:
- Meringue French
- Italian Meringue
- Meringue in Swiss
- Meringue in the microwave
- Interesting facts
The French, the French again! As soon as it comes to something extraordinarily tasty, light, exquisitely elegant, the French are right there. Where do without them, talented and resourceful cooks and confectioners unsurpassed? Even from such a prosaic product, like an egg, they have managed to create something sublimely cloudy, air-weightless and stunningly tasty - meringue. I guess because some French pastry chef to whip egg whites with sugar, making it gentle cream. A second French inventor came up with this cream and bake received not less than the result masterpiece - weightless, divinely tasty "test" for cookies, pastries and cakes.
How to cook the meringue in the theory known to many. But how to implement it in practice, not everyone understands. And even the representative of the beautiful half of which is still preparing meringue (cream cake or tubes meringues in the microwave or in the oven), certainly faced with some difficulties or surprises. The fact that the cream and protein, protein and the dough is very capricious. So let's find out how to cook the meringue at home.
Meringue French
If you have never cooked this magic cream, it's time to turn to the experience of the French. Their method of cooking meringues easiest. Protein mass, cooked in this way turns out strong and lush, but heavy enough. So cook from her cakes in the oven or in the microwave should be no special tricks - just oval patty. Anyway baking they "float". But raw meringue decoration of this pretty well keep their shape.
Ingredients:
- Egg whites
- Salt
- Sugar or powdered sugar
Preparation:
Take two egg whites, pour into a saucepan or in a bowl, add a pinch of salt to them and start beating with a mixer or a whisk. In general, it can be done even with a fork, but a long work. So, beat whites in a solid foam. How to determine that the foam strengthened? There are two proven ways. In the first case, simply try slowly and carefully flip the pan protein "upside down." If the foam is not trying to run down the walls, and clings to the pan - proteins ready. In the second case, just put in the center of the pan with a protein foam knife or fork (or sharp teeth on the bottom). The hard foam and whipped the knife and fork will stand firmly without the help of your hands.
So beating the whites until a solid foam state, start slowly add to them the powdered sugar or sugar, continuing to whisk. Powder will take about two hundred grams per protein. However, the exact amount of powder is determined "by eye", because to add it to the proteins needed to a certain point - the emergence of so-called "stiff peaks." This is when a blender or raised corolla cream does not fall off, and peaks ("icicles" of meringue) do not bend under its own weight.
Note:
To prepare the meringue should be taken only chilled egg whites! This is an indispensable condition for a successful outcome. And one indispensable condition - proteins should be carefully separated from the yolks. Even a tiny part of the yolk proteins hitting a whipping, would nullify all your efforts. By the way, choosing dishes for whipping, keep in mind that the volume of beaten egg whites will increase four times.
Italian Meringue
The main difference between the Italian meringue method of preparation - using sugar syrup instead of sugar. It is believed that the meringue, prepared in this way, it turns out the ideal protein cream.
Ingredients:
- Egg whites (2 pcs.)
- Sugar syrup (about 300 g)
- Citric acid or lemon juice
Preparation:
First, cook sugar syrup: sugar into two portions, one portion of water, a little lemon juice. For the meringue of the two proteins is necessary to take two hundred grams of sugar per one hundred grams of water. Beat whites in a solid foam and continue whisking, pour a thin stream into them hot syrup. Beat cream until then, until the mixture has cooled down completely.
Note:
Italian Meringue is perfect as a filling or interlayer for cakes and pastries: it holds its shape well and does not flow from the contact with butter cream and jam.
Meringue in Swiss
This meringue most-most: very strong, very dense, very stable. It is suitable for figure protein biscuits and that it is made of cream flowers, leaves and ornaments for cakes.
Ingredients:
- Egg whites
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon juice
Preparation:
Swiss way of cooking meringues, of course, time-consuming. But where we did not disappear? Overpower him. We arrange for your meringue water bath: put up the dishes with protein and sugar (one protein - one cup of sugar) in the pot of boiling water. The bottom of the pan should be heated only by steam and not in contact with water. Begin whisking proteins first on the low speed of mixer until all the sugar has dissolved. And then we add the speed and stir until tender, yielding a white, dense, thick cream.
Meringue in the microwave
Learn to do the cream, let's see how to cook the meringue meringues - protein cakes. Bake the meringues we will be in a microwave oven, in the microwave because this process is much faster, and are familiar with it many housewives better than an oven.
Ingredients:
- Egg whites (3 pcs.)
- Sugar (glass)
- Salt
- Lemon juice
Preparation:
Prepare meringue in French first, beat whites in a solid foam, and then gradually add sugar or powdered sugar. Beat "dough" until stiff peaks and add the pinch of salt and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Getting baking. You can expand the ready-made meringues in paper baskets for baking, and it is possible to lay a grid in the microwave baking paper and put her spoon the meringue cakes. Place the cake in the oven and turn it on full power. To prepare the meringue in the microwave at full power, it needs just a couple of minutes. However, then also need to wait until the meringue cool completely in the microwave directly.
Cooled cakes are removed from the oven, sprinkle with chocolate or coconut, pour syrup or cream coat with oil. By the way, the famous "Air cakes" - is not nothing but a meringue with butter cream and cookies "Leningrad" - a meringue biscuit.
Note:
If you do not cook the meringue in the microwave and in the oven, you will need incomparably more time for their cooking - about an hour. However, the technology remains the same and does not differ from the baking meringues in the microwave. Sometimes meringue meringues to do with the starch or flour.
Interesting facts
- From the French word "meringue" is translated as "Kiss."
- In pre-revolutionary Russia meringue called "Spanish wind."
- In cooking, the Soviet Union sold surprisingly tasty "Air cakes" from the dried meringue, and the famous "Kiev" cake on the basis of meringue cake was a terrible deficit.
- Pastries, meringues mentions in his "Notes of a Hunter" Ivan Turgenev.
- Classic Australian dessert - cake "bezeynyh" cakes - named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.
- From protein cakes baked at home, the most popular has been and remains the cake "Secret actress" or "Surprise actress", based on - a meringue and butter cream.
Well, ladies, knowing how to cook the meringue home imbued significance of these facts and do something sweet for dessert as a kiss, the wind light as Spanish, delicate as a ballerina, the air like a cloud - meringue (one word).
