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ITALIAN MERINGUE
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ITALIAN MERINGUE

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ITALIAN MERINGUE

Ingredient Weight Baker’s%
Sugar, granulated 460.00 100%
Egg whites 180.00 39.13%
Water Enough to moisten the sugar (wet sand); about ¼ of the weight of the sugar
Lemon juice or citric acid Four to six drops

Procedure:

1. Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice together in a small sauce pot. Make sure all the sugar is saturated with water. Use a clean pastry brush dipped in clean water to brush away any sugar crystals on the inside of the pot above the level of the sugar mixture (these crystals can cause the sugar to crystallize in the pot); alternatively use you clean wet fingers to clean the sides of the pot off. Cook sugar mixture over high heat with a thermometer probe at its center without stirring.
2. Put the egg whites in a mixer and start mixing on low speed while the sugar is cooking. Ideally, the egg whites will reach their full volume at the same time the sugar mixture reaches the soft ball stage (see next step).
3. When the sugar reaches 112°C/234°F, take it off the heat (carryover heat will take it to what is called the soft ball stage, between 113-115°C/235-239°F). Immediately increase the speed of the mixer to high and whip the egg whites to full volume (just at stiff peaks). Be careful to not overwhip the egg whites (you will know you overwhipped them if they are no longer smooth-looking and look crumbly).
4. Once egg whites reach stiff peaks (full volume), add the cooked sugar down the side of the bowl in a quick assertive constant flow (don’t dump it all in in one shot but be quick about it). Don’t be too slow or the egg whites might overwhip at this point. Adding the hot sugar will cook the protein (albumin) that is responsible for the egg white’s foaming properties, and will keep it from overwhipping.
5. Whip on high until the mixture cools down to at least body temperature.

Uses:
You can combine the meringue with chocolate chips, nuts, freeze dried fruits like strawberries and raspberries. Pipe or spoon it onto a nonstick mat or parchment paper and dry in a very low temp oven for two hours or until completely dry (as low as your oven will go; the bigger the meringue the longer it will take); alternatively, dry in a dehydrator which is my preferred method.
Fold into French macaron base to make macarons.