Whether as an ingredient in a delicious dessert, as a substitute for cookies for a child's birthday, or as a souvenir for special occasions - meringues are a very popular pastry. Although they are made according to the basic recipe with just a few ingredients, they often pose a big challenge for hobby bakers. If you want to make your own meringue, you've come to the right place - we'll help you avoid the most common mistakes with some useful tips. We also provide an overview of the different variations and flavor options so that everyone can find their own favorite recipe. Get inspired!
Make your own meringue – instructions for the basic recipe
The word meringue comes from French and means “kiss”. The foam pastry is baked from egg whites with sugar - the basic recipe contains only a few ingredients. That's why the pastries are often considered a last-minute alternative to traditional cookies. In the summer they willoften filled with fruitand then served with either ice cream or cream. Experienced bakers use the foam pastry as a base for cakes or cover fruit cakes with it. Not only because they taste wonderful in combination with fruit, cream and nuts - also because they last for a week if stored correctly. You can find step-by-step instructions for the meringues below.
Ingredients for the basic recipe
The ingredients are for about 16 meringues, each about 5cm in diameter. You need 4 egg whites, a pinch of salt, 1 cup of fine sugar (if you don't have fine sugar, you can just finely grind normal sugar), 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence, 1 cup of grated coconut, food coloring or essence if the foam pastry is marbled , 4-5 drops of lemon juice.
Step 1: separate the eggs
The eggsWash thoroughly with soap, then leave to cool in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, wash your hands thoroughly. Prepare three bowls - one where the eggs will be separated, one for the yolks and one for the whites. Carefully break open the shell of the first egg, then shake the yolk between the two shells so that the white runs over the edge of the shell and falls into the bowl. At the end, carefully pour the egg yolks into the designated bowl and also pour the egg whites into the designated bowl. This way you ensure that even if an egg yolk melts, only that egg needs to be thrown away and not all of the whites are ruined straight away.
Step 2: beat the egg whites
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Leave the egg whites at room temperature for 40 minutes - this will ensure that they can absorb the air later when beating and increase their volume. In the meantime, you can line a baking tray with paper and preheat the oven to 100 degrees. Then add the lemon juice and salt to the egg whites in the dry bowl. First stir the mixture slowly with the whisk, then increase the speed and switch the hand mixer to the highest level.
Now the most important thing is patience - simply whip the egg whites at the highest level until they are very stiff. This may take a few minutes for the mixture to foam.
When the mixture reaches a consistency as shown above, the sugar can be added little by little while constantly stirring at the highest setting. The finer the sugar, the faster it will be folded in. Test the mixture every now and then; if individual sugar crystals can still be felt, then continue beating.
As soon as the sugar completely dissolves,add the vanilla essence. In the basic recipe it is vanilla, but other essences can also be added depending on personal preferences. At this point you want the mixture to be shiny, stiff and creamy.
Now the coconut flakes can be added and stirred into the mixture with a clean and dry spoon. Now is the right time to dissolve the powdered food coloring in boiling water and pour it into a pipette bottle. Alternative to food coloring - add cocoa or melted chocolate to the mixture and stir with a spoon.
Make your own meringue and marble it
Brush two strips of food coloring into the piping bag fitted with a star tip. Then pour the mixture into the piping bag.
Pipe the meringues onto the baking tray lined with baking paper - making sure that there is a minimum distance of 2cm between the individual meringues. When baked, the foam pastry will not increase in volume significantly.
Bake the meringues in the preheated oven at 100 degrees for 90 minutes - they are ready when they are completely dry. Then turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside for another 10-15 minutes. At the end, let them continue to cool on the baking paper at room temperature.
The finished cooled meringues must be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator - this will ensure that they do not absorb water and do not become soft after a day.
Blueberry filling recipe
The next recipe is a sweet temptation with fruit - theFilling is with blueberries, but you can prepare them with different fruits. The meringues are baked according to the basic recipe above - the only important thing is that you leave a hole in each meringue when piping. For the filling you need the following ingredients: 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (other berries are also possible depending on your taste), 6 tablespoons soft butter, 3/4 cup sugar, 2 large eggs and 2 egg yolks, 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice.
Preparation: Bring the blueberries to the boil and cook for 5-6 minutes. Then remove from the hob, let cool and then puree finely. If necessary, remove larger pieces of fruit to create a smooth mixture - you should end up with half a cup of puree. In another clean, dry bowl, cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer for 2 minutes. First add the eggs, then the yolks, stirring constantly on low speed. Then add the lemon juice and mix well. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and let it warm up over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Then turn the hob to medium heat and let the filling cook while stirring constantly. After 10-12 minutes, when the mixture has thickened, remove from heat and keep aside. When the filling has cooled completely, you can use it to fill the meringue and serve with mint leaves if desired.
Meringues with cocoa and chocolate
Another idea for those who particularly like desserts with chocolate - the meringues are baked according to the basic recipe, replacing the vanilla essence with 1/5 cup of cocoa powder. Allow the finished meringues to cool and in the meantime melt the chocolate in a water bath. Then dip the side of the foam pastry into the chocolate. Serve with ice cream if desired.
