glenda
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response 4 of 6:
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Jun 12 21:17 UTC 2005 |
The following recipe covers both. Or you can do what I started doing when
Staci needed a Pavlova for one of the multi-cultural nights at school and her
class was doing Australia and used powdered egg whites. They are available
in the baking section of most grocery stores and have recipes on the box.
Soft (Pie) Meringue and Hard (Swiss) Meringues
Note: Use amounts and instructions in brackets [ ] for hard meringues.
1. For 9-inch pie meringue [or 1 (9-inch) or 8 (3-inch) hard-meringue
shell/s], in small mixing bowl at high speed, beat 3 egg whites with 1/4
teaspoon cream of tartar until foamy.
2. Add 6 tablespoons [3/4 cup] sugar, 1 [2] tablespoon/s at a time, beating
constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy and stand in soft
[stiff] peaks.
3. Lift beater/s. Egg whites should be glossy. Soft peaks should curl at
tips. [Stiff peaks should stand straight and tall.]
4. Rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar
has dissolved. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.
5. For soft (pie) meringue, spread meringue over hot pie filling, starting
with small amounts at edges and sealing to crust all around. Cover pie with
remaining meringue, spreading evenly in attractive swirls. Bake in preheated
350 F oven until peaks are lightly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool at
room temperature. Refrigerate until serving.
6. For hard meringue/s, with spoon or pastry bag, spread mixture over bottom
and up sides of greased 9-inch pie plate. OR, on lightly greased or lined
(foil or waxed, brown or parchment paper) baking sheet, shape into 1 (9-inch)
nest. OR, using about 1/3 cup of the meringue for each, shape into 8 (3-inch)
nests. Build up edges to form rims.
7. Bake in preheated 225 F oven until firm and cake tester inserted in center
comes out clean, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Turn off oven. Let stand in oven
with door closed until cool, dry and crisp, at least 1 additional hour. (Do
not remove shell from pie plate.) Store in tightly sealed container. Fill
as desired just before serving.
Note for Hard Meringues: The oven temperature and time given here will
produce crisp, white meringues. For a Pavlova or Schaum Torte with a more
chewy inside texture, reduce baking time. After baking about 45 to 55
minutes, judge texture by testing occasionally with cake tester or wooden pick
inserted into side of meringue. When baked to your liking, check with
thermometer to be sure that meringue has reached 160 F. Dry as above.
For lightly browned meringue, increase temperature to 250 F. Bake until
delicately browned and cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about
50 minutes. Dry as above.
Hard (Swiss) Meringue Tips
Hard, or Swiss, meringue is usually made with 4 tablespoons sugar per egg
white and is beaten until stiff peaks form.
You can bake hard meringues on a baking sheet lightly greased with unsalted
shortening, butter or oil, or lined with waxed, brown or parchment paper or
foil. American Egg Board testing has found meringues stick least on sheets
coated with paper or foil and that both shortening and butter are preferable
to oil, though any of these may be used. Nonstick surfaces do require lining
or greasing.
To form practical or fanciful shapes, pipe meringue with a pastry bag or
gently shape it with a spoon or spatula. With minimal shaping, you can also
simply bake hard meringue in a lightly greased pie plate, cake pan or
springform pan.
Hard meringues are not actually baked, but are dried in a 225 F oven for 1
to 1 1/2 hours. They then spend at least another hour basking in the heat
with the oven off a process which keeps them from browning. While generally
baked until crisp and dry throughout, a shorter baking time will produce a
more chewy, marshmallow-like center. For a light golden hue, bake at 250 F
until the center reaches 160 F and is chewy or crisp, as you like. Oven-baked
meringues turn golden brown at the tips; microwaved meringues remain white.
Both are fluffy, tender, glossy and smooth with a fine-grained texture.
Fully baked hard meringues may be stored for months in a tightly sealed
container with waxed paper between any layers. If they should lose crispness,
bake in a preheated 250 F oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
In hard meringues, egg whites robe pure sugar in a mantle of respectability.
To keep them from being cloying to the average sweet tooth, hard meringues
are often most successfully served with tart fruits or fruit-flavored
fillings, such as Key lime pie filling or lemon curd. A puffy hard meringue
has a relatively smooth but crisp crust with little to no browning from the
long, slow baking process. The interior may be crisp or creamy/chewy as a
marshmallow depending on the meringue.s size and the length of baking. If
you bake hard meringue until crisp and dry, it forms an Angel Pie when made
in a pie plate or becomes Forgotten Cookies or Meringue Kisses when dropped
from a spoon. You can also form hard-meringue into a pie-crust shape or tart
shells to hold fruit or pudding. When you bake hard meringue in a cake or
springform pan just until the outside becomes crisp, but the inside is still
creamy/chewy and then top it with fruit and whipped cream, it becomes Pavlova
or Schaum Torte. Just as for soft (pie) meringue, you can also poach hard
meringue to make Floating Islands.
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