SWISS MERINGUE

Identity Card of the Recipe

271 KCal Calories per serving

Ingrediants

120 g (3 medium) of egg white
240 g of sugar
Optional: 120 g of powdered sugar

Materials Needed

Electric whips
Pots for cooking in a bain marie
Bowl
Sac à poche
Baking plate
Baking paper
Scale weighs food
Food thermometer
Caramelizer

Preparation

In an aluminum or steel bowl, combine the egg whites together with twice as much granulated sugar.
Pour very little water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, then insert the bowl with egg whites and sugar, taking care that the container does not come into direct contact with the water below.
Beat the egg whites in a bain-marie with an electric whisk, until the mass has reached a temperature of 60 ° C.

Did you know that
Reaching 60 ° C guarantees the pasteurization of the egg whites: for this reason, the meringue can also be consumed without further baking.

Then remove the bowl from the heat source and whip the mass until it reaches room temperature: the meringue should appear shiny, firm, dense and compact.
At this point, to add greater density and stabilize the meringue, gradually incorporate the icing sugar a little at a time. Adding powdered sugar is optional.
The meringue is ready and can be used immediately to decorate cakes, sweets or muffins: in this case, simply combine the Swiss meringue in a pastry bag and squeeze the mass over the cakes until the desired result is obtained. For a better presentation, it is advisable to heat the surface of the meringue with the caramelizer or to pass the meringue for a few minutes under the oven grill.

Did you know that
The Swiss meringue is very suitable for putting into the form of decorations (eg fruits, mushrooms, animals, ghosts, etc.): this is because the mass is compact and guarantees the maintenance of the shape in development and cooking.

Alternatively, combine the meringue in a pastry bag with a smooth or star-shaped spout. Squeeze the bag on a plate, lined with baking paper, to form many tufts spaced apart. Bake at 120 ° C for about 30 minutes or until the inside is dry. Turn off the oven, open the door and let it cool.

Did you know that
There are two types of Swiss meringue. The classic version (proposed here) provides a proportion of egg whites and sugar equal to 1: 3 (1 part of egg whites and 3 of sugar). In the second version, the quantity of sugar is double that of the egg whites: in this case, the sweets will have a weaker structure since the mass appears more vaporous, consequently fragile and subject to absorb more humidity from the environment.

Alice's comment - PersonalCooker

If you do not use the meringues immediately, I recommend that you dry them very well before putting them together in a tin box: if well dried, they will remain perfect even for a couple of months.
Are you vegan or allergic to eggs? Then try the egg-free meringue!

Nutritional values and Health Comment on the recipe

Swiss Meringue is a rather energetic dessert, with a caloric prevalence attributable to carbohydrates (simple), followed by a few proteins (with a high biological value) and traces of lipids. Cholesterol and fiber are absent.
Swiss Meringue is not recommended in case of overweight, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertriglyceridemia. It has no contraindications for other metabolic diseases, for lactose and gluten intolerance.
It is allowed in the ovo vegetarian diet but excluded from the vegan one.
The average portion of Swiss Meringue is around 30-35g (80-95kcal).