French Meringue

Here is a standard recipe for meringue that can be used on the top of lemon meringue pies, or to make pavlovas. I am providing this recipe and the technique at the request of a reader of Beyond The Kitchen Wall who made a lemon meringue pie (her first!) for her husband but felt that the meringue that she made fell short, literally. She wanted a tall, luxurious meringue to crown her pie, but instead her recipe left her with skimpy results. The key to a tall meringue, besides following the rules below, is to use enough eggs! My recipe uses 5 egg whites instead of the standard 4. The extra white will lift your pies to new heights.

Meringues can be tricky, but if you remember a few simple rules, you should have great success:

• Only use the freshest eggs.
• Allow the egg whites to come to room temperature, or warm gently.
• Don't add the sugar too soon.
• Don't over beat the whites prior to adding the sugar.

French Meringue
Makes enough to top a 9 inch pie

• 5 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

Place room temperature egg whites into the bowl of a standing mixer, or gently warm the egg whites in the mixer bowl over extremely low flame, whisking constantly. The whites should feel warm to the touch. The warmer the eggs, the greater the lift.

Add cream of tartar and salt. Place on mixer and start whipping on low speed to break up the egg whites. Once egg whites begin to foam, increase speed to medium-high. Continue beating the whites until they just begin to form stiff peaks. Turn down the mixer, add the sugar, and increase the speed to high. Continue beating until the whites become glossy, and the sugar is melted. At this point, you can't over beat the meringue. It is only before the sugar is added that the whites can be over beaten. The meringue should look smooth and glossy, not grainy and lumpy.

The best way to master a meringue is practice. It is not as simple as it seems. You have to learn when the whites are ready for the sugar. If you add it too soon, your meringue will not achieve its full airy potential. If you wait too long, your meringue will break and get lumpy. Practice. Making meringues is an art, and is taken very seriously in the French Kitchen.