Meringue

Taking on the challenge of learning to cook really well can yield its own pleasure results. That is due to the fact that cooking can be a more than just a pleasurable skill but a useful skill too.

By being able to make your own dishes the way that you want, you will be able to avoid the cost incurred from having to buy takeaways. This skill is also very important in healthy living since you are able to create different dishes which cater to your specific needs using ingredients and flavours that are pleasing to your taste buds.

When you are looking for a challenging recipe that has just two essential ingredients to make then the different meringues can prove their worth as tasty contenders. Your cooking skills will be tested but once you have conquered the technique you will feel empowered and your culinary exploration can truly begin.

The three of the best

Meringue recipes vary in that they come from three different countries and thus the process of making them differs. Most people know the French meringues which are made through whisking eggs and castor sugar. However, there are two other lesser known recipes such as the Italian and Swiss method. While the variations are slight they do affect what the meringues in terms of taste and appearance. Both these methods use the same ingredients such as the egg whites and sugar or syrup.

The Swiss method is of making meringues can prove tricky as you are required to whisk your egg whites over a Ban Marie. You then add your sugar and keep whisking so while the whole mixture cools. The delicate process of making Swiss meringues can prove challenging even for seasoned cooks and might require a great deal of trial and error before perfection comes into place. However the rewards of achieving this can help to improve other areas in your culinary skills.

The requirements for making Italian meringues are that you will have to use boiling sugar syrup instead of the French style castor sugar. Again you will have to whisk the egg whites and pour in the syrup. These types of meringues don’t often require cooking and can hold their peaks for a longer time. They are therefore used to accentuate different types of desserts such as pies as it holds its stability for longer. This is not to say that you are not allowed to cook the mixture to make meringues.