Soft (Pie) Meringue and Hard (Swiss) Meringues
| Note: Use amounts and instructions in brackets [ ] for hard meringues. |
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| Instructions |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 3. Lift beater/s. Egg whites should be glossy. Soft peaks should curl at tips. [Stiff peaks should stand straight and tall.] |
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| 4. Rub just a bit of meringue between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar has dissolved. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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.Bake until knife inserted near center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes for cups or about 35 to 40 minutes for casserole. Remove promptly from hot water. Cool on wire rack about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or refrigerate and chill thoroughly to serve cold. |
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Microwave Soft (Pie) Meringue: Prepare meringue and cover pie as above. Cook on full power, rotating 1/4 turn every minute, until knife inserted horizontally into side comes out clean, about 3 to 3 1/2 minutes (about 1 minute for each egg white).
Microwave cooking time is based on a full power output of 600 to 700 watts. For a lower wattage oven, allow more time. |
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To poach Soft Meringue: In large saucepan or skillet, bring milk or water to simmering. Drop meringue mixture by spoonsful onto milk, leaving space between spoonsful. (Meringue expands as it cooks. Poach in batches, if necessary.) Simmer, uncovered, until firm, about 5 minutes. Smaller spoonsful will not need to be turned over, but larger ones may require turning halfway through the cooking time. With slotted spoon, remove meringues from milk and drain on paper towels. Serve or chill until ready to serve. (The milk may be used to make a stirred custard.) |
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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.
Click Here for PDF version of this recipe. |
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