Adding Adjuncts to Meringues
I'm planning on making some peppermint meringues tonight but am a little concerned about my recipe. I've successfully made meringues in the past with peppermint extract but this recipe contains crushed peppermint candy.
A commenter on the recipe mentioned that the moment they added the peppermint pieces their meringue went flat. What is the proper way to add an addition such as this to a meringue?
Best Answer
You want to be sure that the egg whites are fully whipped before you add pieces of anything (it's also best to incorporate sugar as either a syrup or very finely ground sugar once the eggs are already whipped as sugar can make the whipping take longer).
When you incorporate pieces of anything into your meringue, be it nuts, candy, etc, fold it in gently with a spatula. You can also add a stabilizer like cream of tartar to help prevent the meringue from falling.
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Why are my meringues still soft?
Underbaking or overbaking your Meringue will result in a chewy texture. Make sure that you preheat your oven before baking your Meringue and set it to the right temperature. I usually bake my Meringue for about 10-12 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and the result is always perfect.Why are my meringues brown and soft?
If your temperature is too high, that will also cause your meringues to develop a chewy texture. Baking your meringues at a higher temperature will also brown them, while often you are looking for pristine white meringues.What does cornflour and vinegar do to meringue?
The cornflour and vinegar that is added strengthens the egg white and make it more stable and you get the marshmallowy centres from the shorter cooking time.How do you stabilize egg white meringue?
For the strongest and most stable meringue, add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar for every egg white before beating\u2014it's an acid that stabilizes the egg white. If you don't have any on hand, use 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice for every egg white.How to colour meringues by londonpastrychefs
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Answer 2
To add peppermint candy to meringue, you want to crush it into as reasonably fine a powder as possible to minimally disrupt the meringue. You don't need it as fine as flour, but you definitely don't want any chunks that wouldn't easily pass through a larger meshed sieve.
After you get stiff peaks in your meringue, fold the crushed peppermint into the egg whites gently. This is much akin to folding in a nut flour to make a dacquoise.
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