Ultimate Chewy Meringues A Foolproof Method

Please don't be put off making your own meringues.  They are really pretty simple, and once you've home made chewy meringues you will never buy a dry supermarket packet again.

I will be honest.  I've had my fair share of meringue based catastrophes in the past.  But so long as you follow a couple of simple rules they are virtually foolproof.


1. Always use fresh fresh fresh eggs.  The yolk will stay much firmer, so they are much easier to separate.

2.  Always make sure your equipment is scrupulously clean.  I wash my bowls and mixer in really hot soapy water and dry with a clean t-towel before starting, as any amount of grease will affect your egg whites.

3.  Add the sugar sloooowwwwly.  Allow the sugar to dissolve into the eggs a little at a time.

4.  Cook the meringues sloooooowly.

And now armed with this simple advise, you are ready to make foolproof meringues like a pro.


Ingredients
4 Egg whites
110g caster sugar
110g icing sugar


Method
Separate the egg whites and egg yolks.  It makes sense to have three bowls to do this.  1 for the yolk, 1 for the egg white you are breaking, and your mixing bowl to decant the other egg white into.  This way if you mess up on one egg you haven't lost all of the whites.   (see Home Economics teachers, I was paying attention all those years ago!)

Once you have all the whites, start to whisk on a low setting.  Continue until all of the egg is foamy and creates stiff peaks.  Build up the speed of the whisk.  There should be no runny egg liquid at the bottom.  The term "stiff peaks" just means that when you lift the mixer the egg whites create a peak that stays upright.

Don't over whisk past this point or the eggs will be "stretched" too far, and will collapse and go watery.

Next add the caster sugar a little at a time, whisking on a high speed making sure it has been absorbed before adding more.  Make sure this is added slowly, as otherwise the sugar can weep from the meringues during cooking. (nobody likes a sad meringue)

Once all the caster sugar has been incorporated, spoon in the icing sugar, and fold in, until fully incorporated.

Spoon into mounds on parchment of greaseproof paper.


Place in an oven pre heated to 150 degrees.  Turn it down to 140, and keep them in for an hour. After an hour, turn the oven off, but leave the meringues inside while the oven cools for another hour or so.

Make sure all of your family know they are in there (post it on the outside maybe)......Mr PSGC has been know to crank up the oven without checking the contents on more than one occasion rendering my meringues to charred offerings.

n.b. Chewy meringues are made by heating the mix at a slightly higher temperature for a shorter time (i.e. keeping some of the moisture inside).

They will also go a slightly milky coffee colour.  If you want them to be more pristine white, and drier (Think shatter on contact with fork), reduce the oven temp to anything like 100 degrees and keep them in until the bottom is hollow.

Mr PSGC helpfully invented "No Hands Meringues".  A very popular suggestion.

Very ladylike.

Oh to be 10 again!