Image is for illustrative purposes only.
Italian meringue is made by whipping egg whites while a hot sugar syrup is poured in, so the whites are cooked as they whip. The result is a dense, glossy, snow-white meringue that holds its shape for hours, pipes cleanly and does not weep the way a plain raw meringue does.
It is one of the most useful things to have in a pastry kitchen. Use it to top tarts and desserts and brown it with a blowtorch, fold it through mousses and creams to lighten them without adding more cream, or pipe and dry it into shells. Because the whites are cooked by the syrup, it is also the safest of the meringues to use uncooked in a filling.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 853
Number of Units: 1
Unit Size: batch of about 850 g of meringue
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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250 |
8.3 Egg Whites
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Egg White
Egg white is the common name for the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms around fertilized or unfertilized egg yolks. The primary natural purpose of egg white is to protect the yolk and provide additional nutrition for the growth of the embryo (when fertilized). Egg white consists primarily of about 90% water into which is dissolved 10% proteins (including albumins, mucoproteins, and globulins). Unlike the yolk, which is high in lipids (fats), egg white contains almost no fat, and carbohydrate content is less than 1%. Egg whites contain just over 50% of the protein in the egg. Egg white has many uses in food (e.g. mousse) and also many other uses (e.g. in the preparation of vaccines such as those for influenza).
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room temperature |
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B
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2.5 |
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Cream of Tartar
Cream of tartar, also known as potassium bitartrate or potassium hydrogen tartrate, is a byproduct of winemaking. It is known as cream of tartar in context with cooking. It is the potassium acid salt of tartaric acid (a carboxylic acid).
In food, cream of tartar is used for:
- Stabilizing egg whites, increasing their heat tolerance and volume
- Stabilizing whipped cream, maintaining its texture and volume
- Anti-caking and thickening
- Preventing sugar syrups from crystallizing
- Reducing discoloration of boiled vegetables
Additionally it is used as a component of:
- Baking powder, as an acid ingredient to activate baking soda
- Sodium-free salt substitutes, in combination with potassium chloride
A similar acid salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate, can be confused with cream of tartar because of their common function as a component of baking powder.
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C
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500 |
17.6 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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D
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100 |
3.4 fluid_ounces
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Water
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852
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
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This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Make sure the mixing bowl and whisk are completely clean and free of any grease or trace of yolk. Have a sugar thermometer and a heavy saucepan ready. |
Any fat will stop the whites whipping up |
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2 |
Boil |
Put C and D (caster sugar and water) in the saucepan, stir once to wet the sugar, then bring to the boil without stirring again. Brush down the sides of the pan with a wet brush and cook to 120°C (248°F). |
Syrup clear and thick, thermometer reading 120°C |
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3 |
Whip |
While the syrup is heating, whip A and B (egg white and cream of tartar) in the mixer. |
Soft peaks only — do not over whip, or the meringue will go grainy |
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4 |
Add |
With the mixer running on medium speed, pour the hot syrup into the whipping whites in a thin, steady stream down the side of the bowl, avoiding the whisk. |
Syrup fully incorporated, no hardened threads on the bowl |
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5 |
Whip |
Keep whipping until the meringue is thick, glossy and holds a firm peak. |
Bowl feels only just warm to the touch, meringue cooled to about body temperature |
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6 |
Use |
Use straight away for piping or torching, or fold into mousses and creams while still soft. |
Smooth and glossy, holding its shape |
Important Notes
This quarter batch makes about 850 g of meringue — enough to top two 20 cm tarts or to lighten a large batch of mousse. The chef's main tip is simple: do not over whip. Take the whites only to soft peaks before the syrup goes in, and stop whipping once the meringue is glossy and firm; pushed too far it turns dry and grainy and will break when folded. Italian meringue is best used the day it is made. It will hold in the fridge, covered, for a day or two, but it slowly loses volume and may weep a little.
Tools & Arrangements
Electric mixer with whisk attachment, heavy-based small saucepan, sugar thermometer, pastry brush, heatproof spatula, piping bag and nozzle if piping, blowtorch if browning.
