Baked Cheese Meringue Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you know when meringue are beaten enough? ›

Gradually add the sugar, 1-2 tbsp at a time until it is all incorporated and the peaks become glossy. Continue beating until the foam forms stiff peaks and all of the sugar has been dissolved. To test if the sugar has dissolved, rub the beaten meringue between your thumb and forefinger.

If your mixture looks runny after you have added the first lot of sugar and whisked it up, don't add any more sugar until the mixture begins to firm up. You will know when you have a stiff peak when you can hold the bowl right over your head and the mixture stays in.

A meringue is done baking when it releases easily when gently lifted from the baking sheet. If it's close, keep checking every 5 to 10 minutes.

Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat together the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on medium-low speed until foamy–about one minute. Next, increase the mixer speed to medium-high and beat for 1 to 3 minutes until soft peaks form and the whites are shiny. Don't rush this step.

Don't be tempted to continue: Go too far and the meringue will start to weep (i.e., release water) and form clumps that can't be easily incorporated into a batter. To fix broken, overbeaten egg whites, you can add an additional white and whisk briefly, just to incorporate its moisture into the original group.

Fixing runny meringue is usually as simple as whisking more air into the mixture and waiting for it to develop stiff peaks. You can also add another egg white or a teaspoon of cornstarch to get the mix to the consistency you need.

Don't overbake your meringue! Overbaking causes the egg whites to shrink and squeeze out small droplets of moisture. Always make sure to check on your pie at the minimum baking time. Undissolved sugar in the egg whites can also cause weeping.

With meringue, a temperature which is too high will result in golden/brown meringues. Bake the meringue soon after whisking. This style of meringue is not very stable and the whipped structure will start to break down and weep if left to sit for too long. Higher temperature to start, then low and slow.

What is the secret to stiff meringue? ›

A couple ideas… never use a plastic bowl, metal or glass only and make sure there is not even a drop of egg yolk. Fat will cause your whites to not reach stiff peaks. Also, adding cream of tartar or a little lemon juice will help make a solid meringue.

Slowly stream in the sugar after the egg whites have been whipping for about 10 seconds. Add the sugar in thirds: 1/3 when the whites are a very pale yellow (about 10 seconds in), 1/3 when the whites begin to foam, and 1/3 just before the whites reach a soft peak. Add all of the sugar at once.

The more sugar added to a meringue mixture, the denser and smoother the final foam will be. Sugar inhibits the eggwhite protein from forming bonds around air pockets, so the more sugar you incorporate, the less airy the foam will be. Adding the sugar too late and/or too slowly.

Over whip the egg whites and you risk making them too firm and they will risk losing the moisture that they hold. This will affect your meringue's crispness, as well as making it more likely to collapse or weep beads of sugar. As my meringue guru Gary Mehigan advises: “If you over whip the egg whites you cannot fix it.