This recipe is here for my brother-in-law who turned up to Christmas last year with lemon meringue pies that had a thin layer of white sticky stuff on the top that was supposed to be meringue. They tasted great but really not like lemon meringue tarts because there was no meringue.
This week I decided to have a go at Eton Mess for a niece with a few allergy issues. My old method of making meringue included cornflour but I needed a gluten free version so I went scouring the internet and found this recipe prevalent. It worked really well and is was great in the Eton Mess.
Meringue made with brown sugar.
For a change this recipe can be made with 50% brown sugar.
This makes enough for about 25 meringues or a pavlova base – doubled gives one base and a pile of meringues.
Ingredients
- 4 egg whites (at room temperature)
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 100g Caster sugar (to whip into the egg whites)
- 100g caster sugar or brown caster sugar or brown sugar (to fold into the beaten egg mix)
Method
- Turn the oven to 140°C and prepare some baking paper.
- Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar together in a clean, dry electric mixer on aerator setting for a minute or until the mixture is fluffy. Begin adding the first measure of sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking each until just combined. When all the sugar has been added continue whisking for 2 – 3 minutes until the mixture is thick and glossy and all the sugar is dissolved. Stop the mixer and stir in the second measure of sugar.
- Depending on what the meringue is to be used for place dollops, walnut sized spoonfuls or a layer of meringue on the baking paper and place in the oven and turn it down to 120°C. Bake for 2 hours, then turn over and leave in the oven to cool for 3-4 hours – check for colour and turn down if necessary.
- Test for doneness and stop cooking and allow to cool when they have reached the level of internal stickiness required for the recipe.
- Store in an airtight container for a few weeks.