(click on the picture for details) Custard-based recipes like ice-creams, crême brûlée, and tiramisu mainly require egg yolks, and you always end up with extra egg whites. One way to use up leftover whites is to make soufflé - and I will hopefully be able to share my taro root soufflé with you very soon! If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth and are not up to the challenge, a simpler way is to make meringues. Meringue cookies may seem intimidating for any beginner, but as long as you start with water- and grease-free utensils and bowls, these feather-light cookies will be a breeze to make!
Ingredients for 3-4 dozen cookies:
5 large egg whites (Tip: Make also sure that no yolk has slipped into your bowl when you separate your eggs !)
7 ounces icing sugar
Zest of 1 orange
1. Sift the icing sugar to ensure that there will be no lumps and zest the orange.
2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites using an electrical mixer until firm peaks form.
3. Slowly add the sugar while keeping the mixer on to obtain glossy peaks.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
5. Line baking sheets with parchemin paper.
6. Gently fold the zest into the whites and transfer into a freezer bag.
7. Cut one tip of the bag and pipe the whites onto the lined baking sheets, keeping about one inch between the cookies.
8. Bake for 1 hr, making sure not to open the oven door during the first 30 mns. (Tip: Try to bake all the cookies in one batch prevent the meringues from falling)
9. Let cool on a rack to room temperature.
2 comments:
Why do the meringues have to be grease-free?
Very interesting question, Adam.
Meringues are actually sweet egg foams. The whisking action introduces air into the egg whites, which are composed of proteins and water. Egg foams are kept together because of the balanced forces between proteins, air, water. Traces of grease would disrupt that equilibrium and make the meringue collapse, as would traces of egg yolk or water.
Post a Comment