Meringue (,mÉ™-RANG; French pronunciation: ​[mÉ™Êɛ̃ɡ]) is a type of dessert, often associated with French, Swiss, and Italian cuisine, made from whipped egg whites (or aquafaba) and sugar, and occasionally an acidic ingredient such as lemon, vinegar or cream of tartar. A binding agent such as salt, cornstarch or gelatin may also be added to the eggs. The addition of powdered sugar, which usually contains corn starch, to the uncooked meringue produces a pavlova. The key to the formation of a good meringue is the formation of by denaturing the protein ovalbumin (a protein in the egg whites) via mechanical shear. Meringues are often flavoured with vanilla, a small amount of almond, or coconut, although if extracts of these are used and are based on an oil infusion, an excess of fat from the oil may inhibit the egg whites from forming a foam.
They are light, airy and sweet confections. Homemade meringues are often chewy and soft with a crisp exterior, although a uniform crisp texture may be achieved at home by baking at a low temperature (180–200 °F (82–93 °C)) for an extended period of up to two hours, whilst many commercial meringues are crisp throughout.
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French Meringue or basic meringue is the method best known to home cooks. Fine white sugar (castor sugar) is beaten into egg whites.
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Italian Meringue is made with boiling sugar syrup, instead of caster sugar. This leads to a much more stable soft meringue which can be used in various pastries without collapsing. In an Italian meringue, a hot sugar syrup is whipped into softly whipped egg whites till stiff and until the meringue becomes cool. This type of meringue is safe to use without cooking. It will not deflate for a long while and can be either used for decoration on pie, or spread on a sheet or Baked Alaska base and baked.
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Swiss Meringue is whisked over a bain-marie to warm the egg whites, and then whisked steadily until it cools. This forms a dense, glossy marshmallow-like meringue. It is usually then baked.
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