M is for Meringues

One of my favorite cookies is a light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth meringue.  I like vanilla the most and I like the teeny tiny bite-sized ones because you can eat a whole bunch and you haven't done much damage to your health.  Because of a meringue's low-calorie reputation, dieters often get hooked on their crispy, light goodness.  One take on meringues is a dessert called a pavlova;  it's actually named after a Russian ballerina named Anna Pavlova. Evidently she liked big fluffy piles of meringue served with fruit and whipped cream on top.  It's a really common dessert during holidays in New Zealand and Russia and it often gets topped with berries, kiwi, or plums.  mmm...

I have had successful and unsuccessful meringue adventures.  I know that egg whites can be sensitive and I've done all I can to avoid their tragic "fall," but sometimes the reasons just escape me.  After some research (AKA Googling), I learned that egg whites need to be room temperature and that your mixing bowl must be immaculate.  Okay, done.  I also learned that egg whites are very sensitive to humidity and changes in weather because they have so much air whipped into them.  The type of air you're putting in there truly matters.  I can deal with that.  Note to self:  do not make meringues in August in Virginia.  Egg whites will not fluff up if they have any yolk mixed in with them and if you use your fingers to dig out shell or yolk when separating the whites, then you might as well pitch the whole thing.  Grease and oils, even from hands, mess up the whole situation.  Other things you should know about meringues is that they have to be mixed with a fine sugar and they must be cooked at a low temperature for a long time because you're drying them out more than cooking them.  Whew!  Can we say high maintenance?!  

This afternoon I tried to make some brown sugar meringues and I failed.  The whites fell and I could not get them back up.  I added the sugar slowly!  They were room temperature!  Everything was spic n' span!  I think my problem was that I had a couple windows open in the house.  It's because it was a glorious 70 degrees outside today and I was awfully excited about spring.  Oh, well.  I tried baking the drooly mess of whites in muffin cups as a last stitch effort, but it just made a nastier mess and I ended up tossing the whole situation in the trashcan.  I chose not to photo document this embarrassing episode.

Tonight, after Peter escaped to the office to work on taxes, I got the mixer out again, tied my apron on tighter than usual, and got to work again.  Same meringue recipe.  More determination this time!  I used eggs that weren't quite room temperature and I added the sugar after the whites were a little more stiff and perhaps that was the ticket.  I also whipped them for nearly 10 minutes while I did various kitchen chores and packed lunches for me and my man.  Boy, were those whites fluffy!  I used my Pampered Chef piping tool (thank you, Grandma!) and made beautiful star shaped cookies on parchment paper.  They're in the oven now, and I'll have you know they look great.  I'm going to let them cool in the oven overnight so they're nice and crisp.  I've read about how meringues sweat and droop in the fridge and are best kept in a breathable container like a tin at room temperature.  Goodness, they're high maintenance from beginning to end!

I've come to grips with the fact that my open windows doomed my first batch of brown sugar meringues, but I'm still unsure of what happened to my chocolate meringues a few weeks ago.  When I followed the recipe exactly, why did they flatten out into tooth-breaking discs in the oven?  They were absolutely fluffy when I piped them out and put them in the oven, so what happened in there?!  Let me know if you have any insight because I will not let this cookie defeat me.  I like it too much!

Brown Sugar Vanilla Meringues
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma baking book and Cook Yourself Thin Faster

3-4 egg whites
pinch of salt
few drops of lemon juice
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 250.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine egg whites, salt, and lemon juice.  Beat on high speed for about 2 minutes.  Reduce the speed and slowly add the sugar.  Return the mixer to high speed and beat until the egg whites are firm and glossy.  It might take 7-10 minutes.  Slow the speed again and add the tsp. of vanilla extract.

You can pipe your meringues using a plastic bag, an accent decorator, an ice cream scoop, or even just a spoon.  Bake the meringues for 1 hour and then turn off the oven and let them stay in the oven for another hour.  You can even crack the door and let them stay in there to dry overnight.  Enjoy!