Someone recently emailed us with a question about meringues: how
to keep them from weeping. I asked the two experts that I know,
our pastry chef, Marne and my mother. Marne's first inclination
was that she might not be beating the whites enough, therefor
the sugar crystals are not fully incorporated causing it to
weep. My mother automatically assumed that the eggs were not a
room temperature when she started. So we put out collective
heads and books together and came up with the following:
Tips for Meringue and a recipe:
1. Separate eggs while they are cold. 2. Allow whites to come to
room temperature (always) since that is the temp they need to be
beaten at to incorporate more air.
3. Use a small deep bowl and make sure the beaters are very
clean (any grease will interfere with the beating) the whites
will increase 2 1/2 - 4 times their original volume. A rotary
hand mixer will make a soft meringue but you will need an
electric mixer to make a hard meringue.
4. When the whites are beaten to the foamy stage, add salt and
cream of tartar (1 tea to each 1 cup beaten egg whites) cream if
tartar helps it reach maximum volume and increases the
stability.
5. The amount of sugar to add depends on the type of meringue: 2
T sugar to each egg white for soft meringues (toppings) and 4-5
T per white for hard meringues (shells). Beat in sugar
gradually, 1 T at a time until no grains of sugar can be
detected. The sugar is added when the whites have reached soft
peaks; if added too early, meringue will not reach its full
volume.
6. When spreading meringue, make sure it is spread over the
entire surface so that the filling is completely covered and the
meringue is attached to the edge of the dish. This prevents
shrinkage of the meringue during baking.
7. To prevent weeping, make sure you bake them properly. Bake a
soft meringue in a preheated 350 oven for 12-15 minutes,
depending on the thickness of the meringue, or until golden
brown. Cool at room temperature. After it reaches room temp, you
can refrigerate.
Here is an unconventional recipe from the Fannie Farmer cookbook
to keep your meringue from weeping and it will hold up a a few
days.
For a 8" pie: 3 eggs at room temp, 1/3 c sugar, 1/8 tea salt,
1/2 tea vanilla
for a 9" pie: 4 eggs at room temp, 6 T sugar, 1/48 tea salt, 1/2
tea vanilla
Put egg whites and sugar in mixing bowl and place the bowl in a
pan of hot water. stir constantly, until whites feel warm, then
add the salt and vanilla. Remove the bowl from the hot water and
beat with an electric mixer until stiff and shiny. Spread on
filled and baked pie shell, being sure it touched crust and
edges. Put in under a broiler and let it brown a bit, watching
carefully because it only take a minute.
About the author:
Peggy Bloodworth left a job as a sales VP in a high tech company
entertaining clients around the world for a personal chef and
catering business where she is chef for swank party givers in
Research Triangle Park, NC. More party ideas, recipes, menus and
pictures can be found on her website
swank website. She
maintains a large garden and vineyard. Menus are well
researched, recipes are most
