Almond Meringues Recipes

ALMOND MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225°F.
• Beat whites with a pinch of salt in a bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until they hold soft peaks. Add 1/2 cup superfine sugar a little at a time, beating, then continue to beat at high speed until whites hold stiff, glossy peaks, 1 to 3 minutes. Fold in remaining 1/4 cup sugar gently but thoroughly.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put a small dab of meringue on all 4 corners of each sheet, then turn paper over, pressing on corners to adhere parchment to baking sheets.
• Spoon meringue into pastry bag. You will be making 4 lattice cookies on each sheet, so work in 1 quadrant for each: Pipe 4 (4-inch-long) diagonal lines, about 5/8 inch apart, then pipe 4 (4-inch-long) parallel lines diagonally across original 4 lines, 5/8 inch apart, to form a lattice. Make 3 more lattice meringues on same baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Sprinkle half of almonds over meringues. Pipe 4 more lattice meringues on second baking sheet in same manner, then sprinkle with remaining almonds.
• Bake meringues in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until crisp and pale golden, about 1 hour total.
• Cool meringues completely on sheets on racks, about 1 hour, then carefully peel from parchment.

CHOCOLATE-ALMOND MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Place egg whites and cream of tartar in a clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer and beat until foamy. Add sugar and almond extract beat until meringues hold soft peaks, about 3 minutes. Fold in chocolate gently until just incorporated. Using a pastry bag or a sealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off, pipe meringue by the tablespoon onto cookie sheets. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from oven and let cool completely before removing from parchment paper. Transfer to an airtight container.

ALMOND MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Butter parchment. Beat egg whites in large bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold in powdered sugar, almonds and lemon juice (meringue will deflate and will no longer be stiff).
• Drop meringue by level tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are pale golden around edges, about 25 minutes. Cool completely on baking sheets. Using metal spatula, carefully remove cookies from parchment. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container.)

JOHN'S ALMOND SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth.
• In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a pan of simmering water, combine egg whites and sugar. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and mixture is very warm to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Attach the bowl to the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; beat, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add almond extract and continue beating until incorporated. Switch to the paddle attachment. With the mixer on medium-high speed, quickly add butter, a few tablespoons at a time, beating until mixture is smooth and has increased in volume. (If the frosting appears to separate after all the butter has been added, continue beating until smooth again.), Reduce speed to low, and continue beating for 2 minutes to eliminate any air bubbles.

COFFEE ALMOND MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250ºF.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, combine the coffee granules and egg whites and beat until frothy.
• Add the salt, cream of tartar, and cinnamon.
• Beat with mixer until soft peaks slowly form.
• Gently add both sugars and almond extract.
• Beat until stiff peaks form.
• With a rubber spatula, fold in the toasted slivered almonds.
• Drop by heaping teaspoons 1 1/2" apart on to the parchment lined baking sheet.
• Bake for 30-35 minute.
• Turn off the heat, but leave the meringues in the oven for an additional 30 minute.
• Remove the parchment (with the meringues on it) from the baking sheet and let cool completely on the counter.
• Peel the cookies from the parchment and store in an air tight container.

CHERRY ALMOND MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 225 degrees.
• Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Chop the dried cherries and almonds into small bits.
• Using an electric mixer beat egg whites, cream of tartar, almond extract and salt until the eggs form soft peaks. While continuing to beat, add sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat for an additional two or three minutes until sugar granules have dissolved and the eggs form stiff peaks. I found the batter to be quite sticky at this point.
• Gently fold in the cherries and almonds into the egg mixture. Make sure you have a nice even distribution.
• To make the meringues, you can drop the batter in rounded tablespoons onto the parchment about one inch apart. Alternately, place the batter into a large resealable bag and snip off about 3/8 inch of one tip. Pipe small mounds about the size of a medium walnut.
• Place baking sheets into the oven and bake one hour. Rotate the cookie sheets turning front to back. If one sheet is above the other in your oven (not side-to-side) then flip the sheets as well. Continue baking until the meringues are dry, about an additional hour.
• Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the meringues to completely cool before removing them from the parchment.
• Store in an air tight container for up to one week.

ALMOND MERINGUE WITH SUMMER BERRIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Scatter the almonds on a baking sheet and roast for 6-8 mins until golden. Very coarsely grind them in a small food processor, then set aside. Lower oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.
• Beat the egg whites in a scrupulously clean mixing bowl until stiff peaks have formed. Tip in half the sugar and beat again until stiff peaks are formed once more. Using a metal spoon, deftly fold in the remaining sugar a spoonful at a time, followed by most of the almonds (keep a small handful back). Tip the meringue onto the lined sheet and spread it out quite roughly to a 20cm circle. Scatter over the reserved almonds. Bake for 20 mins, reduce the temperature to 140C/120C fan/gas 1, then bake for a further 40 mins. Let meringue cool in the oven with the door ajar or on the side as you wish.
• While the meringue is baking, and if you wish to add the glamour of a raspberry ripple to the cream, make a few spoonfuls of purée by pressing 125g of the raspberries through a sieve.
• When nearing the moment for assembly, whip the cream until soft and cloudy. Lightly ripple through about half, or more, of the raspberry purée through the cream. You can serve the rest separately on the side. Place the meringue upon a handsome dish. Spoon the whipped cream liberally over the meringue. Slice the strawberries in a random manner. Heap the berries atop the cream, and offer any remaining fruit separately. Sift over the icing sugar. Take to the table and take a bow.

ALMOND-MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put butter and 1/3 cup sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in 2 yolks, 2 tablespoons cream, and the vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Gradually mix in flour and salt. Shape into a disk; wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until cold, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to a generous 1/8 inch thick. Using a 1 1/2-inch fluted cutter, cut out rounds, and place on parchment-lined baking sheets. Reroll scraps, and cut out. Whisk remaining yolk and 1 tablespoon cream; brush cookies with egg wash. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Put egg whites into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until foamy. Gradually add remaining 2 teaspoons sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Place 1 teaspoon meringue and 3 almond pieces on top of each cookie. Bake until meringue is golden, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.