I used to have a total block in making meringues. I tried all sorts of recipes from friends that were meant to be fool-proof.
Nothing worked. Usually after a promising start they would go all soft and soggy.
It became something of a challenge. After all meringues were first created in the Swiss mountain town of Meiringen after which they were named. ( As is often the case, the first meringue involved a young baker distracted by love who produced it by mistake ).
And for all its Swiss beginnings meringue-making has become something of a cooking rite of passage in Australia – if you can’t make a meringue, how can you call yourself a cook?
Then my friend Graeme came to stay at Tilba and broke the spell. I have been using his method ever since, making perfect meringue after perfect meringue. Egg yolks form part of so many other dishes that I always seem to have egg whites in the fridge and meringues are a great way to use them. It’s like adding a party hat to so many sweet dishes.
Thank you Graeme. Now I can look my foodie friends in Australia straight in the eye.
- Ingredients
- for every egg white ( 30-40 gr)
- 60 gr of caster sugar
- a pinch of salt
beat the egg whites until they start to form peaks
with the motor running, slowly add the sugar, like a rain
continue beating until the egg whites become shiny ( 10 minutes approximately)
spread some baking paper on your oven tray
with a spoon make the shapes of the meringues you like
bake for about 2 hours or until they are hard to the touch
let them cool on baking rack and then keep them in an airtight tin
they will last for a long time… if you are strong willed
