How to prepare Italian meringue

How to make Italian meringue.

Meringue is a sweet preparation that we can use in a wide variety of shapes and textures, either as a dessert in itself, or as part of other preparations.

There are three types of pastries: Italian meringue, Swiss and French.  Although the variations between them are subtle, and the ingredients basically the same.

We are going to use egg whites and sugar, in each case they are used for different preparations and their texture is different.

Today I am going to explain how to prepare the Italian meringue.  This is the only one of the three in which the whites get to cook during the process. So the possible risk of this type of preparation is eliminated by not having raw egg whites.

The dessert par excellence where this meringue is a fundamental part is the already famous  lemon meringue pie.

This cake is where the Italian meringue is king, in addition to a lemon cream that forms the filling of a shortcrust pastry.

Although it is important to follow the directions, it is an easy and quick recipe to prepare, so I encourage you to put yourself at home and leave yours impressed.

Syrup preparation

1. In a saucepan we pour the water and 180 g. sugar in the center, trying not to touch the edges.
2. We reserve the other 60 g. of sugar to start mounting the whites.
3. We heat the casserole, without moving it, until it begins to bubble. At this time, and while the syrup continues, we begin to mount the whites.

Preparation of the meringue. Assemble the egg whites

1. In the bowl of the mixer put the egg whites and begin to beat. Better that it be with a mixer with rods, I recommend that you do not do it by hand,… it can, but it is difficult.
2. When we see that they begin to foam abundantly we add 60 g. of sugar little by little, without stopping to beat. We continue until the whites are well assembled.

Preparation of Italian meringue

1. At this point the syrup will be practically ready.
2. We need to get to the middle ball point texture. Which is equivalent to reaching a temperature between 116ºC to 125ºC.
3. Although it depends a little on the amount that we are preparing. It will take us about 5 minutes to reach the ideal point of the syrup.
4. With the syrup already in its point we begin to beat the whites again and we begin to add it in the form of a thread, little by little, until we have added everything.
5. We continue beating until the meringue has completely cooled, which is at room temperature.

Be sure to enjoy all the yummy sweets in our dessert recipes .

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the next album .

Tips for a perfect meringue

• The proportion between the ingredients is essential. It is important that we weigh the ingredients well.
• There should not be any type of yolk residue when we separate the whites. We could have a less consistent meringue.
• The whites must be at room temperature. Since if they were too cold it would take longer to assemble the meringue.
• To prevent the sugar from the syrup from crystallizing on the edge of the pot, we must be careful to pour it into the center of the pot. Trying not to touch the walls, and do not move the pot at any time while it is cooking.
• The ideal point for the syrup is the “medium ball point”. If we do not have a kitchen thermometer we can check that it is ready by taking a pinch with the tip of a spoon and pouring it into a glass of water. In the glass a ball will form that when manipulated with the fingers will be soft in texture but will not fall apart.
• It is important not to add the syrup before the whites are well assembled.
• Pour in syrup in the egg whites bowl very slowly, with a continuous but fine thread. If we add the syrup in too much quantity, the whites will not be able to wrap it and there will be sugar and lumps in the meringue.
• We will mount the whites with part of the sugar to achieve a greater consistency. This way we will help them not to drop when adding the hot syrup.

Should cream of tartar be used?

• May be used cream of tartar (optional in this case, would have to add one – eighth teaspoon of clear used in the meringue, is, 1/2 teaspoon for this recipe) as a stabilizer super clear .
• That is why it is usually added to the whites to make Italian meringue with what we do that increases the tolerance to heat. Also to maintain and increase its volume more firmly.
• Thus we will get a perfect and shiny texture we must continue beating the meringue until it cools down. If we stop the smoothie before it gets cold it will lose consistency and syrup over time.