Meringues are simple to make – honestly – if you are scrupulous about separating the eggs, writes DOMINI KEMP.
I HAVE NO IDEA WHY, but if you ask me to bake a meringue, I get a bit stressed out. I know I’ve made it very clear I am no pastry chef, but meringues are just so darned simple that I have no excuse. Yet, I always make a dog’s dinner of them. It usually starts off with a fumbling of eggs, burst yolks and shattered shells. Then I forget how many eggs I’ve actually put into the bowl.
I know one could argue that all you have to do is count the yolks or empty egg shells, but when the yolks have all burst and the shells are already in the bin, it makes it a bit trickier. If you asked me to separate 200 eggs for hollandaise sauce, I’d happily oblige, no problem. Ask me to separate six egg whites to make a meringue and I will go through about two dozen eggs before I admit defeat. Hopeless carry-on that could be described as plain old incompetence. However, they do make a quick and tasty dessert, especially for large gatherings, which is why I’m fond of a Simon Hopkinson recipe called Angel Pies, full of lemon curd and passion fruit.
There are a few basics to remember when dealing with eggs for meringues. Clearly, the bit I need to pay most attention to is that you have to be very careful when separating the eggs. Any trace of egg yolk in the egg whites will make it impossible to stiffen the egg whites. Your equipment – a metal or glass bowl and whisk or beater – must be completely clean. Any trace of fat on your equipment will again make it very difficult to properly stiffen the egg whites. That’s why plastic bowls are a bit dodgy to use – even if you’ve cleaned them scrupulously they can still be a bit “greasy”.
Use egg whites that are at room temperature because they will reach a greater volume – the general rule of thumb is that older eggs are better for whisking as they are less gelatinous, which is a good quality when you’re poaching eggs for breakfast, for example, but not when you’re looking for serious volume from whisking. Cream of tartar helps stabilise the egg whites, which is a good thing if you’re a spanner like me.
Angel pies
MERINGUE
3 egg whites
Pinch salt
¼ tsp cream of tartar
125g caster sugar
1 teaspoon cornflour
2 tsp white wine vinegar
Little extra caster sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 140 degrees. Beat the egg whites with the salt and cream of tartar until they form soft peaks. Add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, while still beating until the whites are thick and glossy. Fold in the cornflour and vinegar. Grease a 24-centimetre tart tin with removable base with a little sunflower oil and spread out the meringue, then sprinkle with extra caster sugar and bake for an hour. Cool in the tin.
LEMON CURD
90g unsalted butter
2 lemons, rind and juice
125g sugar
2 eggs, beaten
Melt the butter in a bowl over boiling water along with the lemon juice, rind and sugar. When they are well mixed, add the eggs and mix well until thick, and then allow to cool.
ASSEMBLY
300ml cream
1 tablespoon caster sugar
6-8 passion fruit
Whip cream along with a tablespoon of caster sugar. You can mix this with your lemon curd or do a separate layer of cream and separate layer of lemon curd on top of the meringue whatever you prefer. Spoon the flesh from the passion fruit on top and serve.
Apple tart
Old fashioned goodness. This isn’t great re-heated or served the next day, so make and eat on the same day.
1 kg Bramley or cooking apples, peeled and diced
5 cloves
Juice of 1 lemon
175g golden caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
25g butter
375g frozen puff pastry
Milk
Extra 25g caster sugar
Preheat oven to 180 degrees. One kilogramme of apples is about five big apples, and once peeled and chopped yields about 900g finely chopped flesh. Toss the finely diced apple with the cloves, lemon juice, sugar and cornflour. Grease a 24cm tin and roll out two-thirds of the pastry, line the tin and let the excess pastry flop out over the sides. Tip the apples into the tart tin. Brush the edges of pastry with milk and then take the last third of pastry, roll out and cover the apples, pressing down the apples and pressing the edges of the pastry together so that it seals up the tart. Trim excess pastry, brush the surface with milk and sprinkle with extra sugar. Make six incisions in the pastry to let the steam out and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes, then drop heat down to 150 degrees and cook for another 40 minutes until golden on top. If it’s looking a little flaccid, keep cooking until golden. Cool slightly and serve with cream or ice cream.