Brown Sugar Meringue Recipes

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet; toast until golden and aromatic, about 8 minutes. Shake the pan halfway through baking to make sure the nuts toast evenly. Remove from oven; cool. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees. Line two 11-by-17-inch baking sheets with parchment; set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and sugar. Place bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, 3 minutes.
• Transfer the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low speed and gradually increasing to high, whip mixture until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla, and mix to combine. Remove bowl from mixer, and fold in the toasted almonds.
• Place 1/3-cup ovals of meringue on prepared baking sheets, about 6 per sheet. Bake 1 hour. Turn off heat; dry meringues in oven overnight. Store between layers of parchment in an airtight container in a cool, dry place up to 3 days.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 120C. Have ready 2 baking sheets lined with baking paper. Sift the brown sugar into a bowl and set aside. Beat the eggwhites until soft peaks form. Add the castor sugar in 3 lots, beating until the whites are glossy and thick. With motor still running, steadily "rain" in the brown sugar as if it was polenta. Spoon tablespoon blobs of meringue onto the trays, leaving space between. Smooth tops if you like. I like the little swirls and peaks from the spoon, so please yourself. If you are going to fill them with caramel cream later it is a good idea to shape the mounds with a definite hollow in the centre. Bake for about 50 minutes until firm. Turn oven off and prop door open with a wooden spoon or similar and leave until meringues are quite cold. Store in an airtight container. Makes 16 meringues. This recipes is featured in the book, Autumn which is available now in all good bookstores RRP $34.95. To order direct call 1300 656 059 or visit www.smh.com.au/store

EASY BROWN SUGAR MERINGUE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 F.
• Arrange the oven racks so one is in the upper third and the other is in the bottom third of the oven.
• Put sugars in food processor and process for about 60 seconds. If you don't have a food processor, you can skip this step. It just helps make the sugar a little finer and it will dissolve more quickly. If you can find superfine sugar , use that along with the brown sugar.
• Beat the egg whites on medium speed of electric mixer until foamy. Add cream of tartar; continue beating until the egg whites hold soft peaks. Gradually beat in both sugars and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Beat in vanilla extract. The meringue should be very smooth and have no sugar grittiness.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. A tiny dot of meringue under the parchment paper at each corner will keep it from moving while you work.
• Spoon small mounds of meringue on the parchment paper. Sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar over each mound. Or pipe the meringue using a decorative star tip, if desired.
• Bake for 1 hour, rotating the baking sheets after 30 minutes. Take a meringue out to test. Break in half; it should be dry in the center. Turn the oven off and leave the door partially open. Leave meringues in the oven for 1 hour longer.

BASIC BROWN SUGAR MERINGUE

Steps:

• Serve and enjoy.

GOOD MERINGUE

Steps:

• In large bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar with electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture forms stiff peaks.

BROWN SUGAR SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Put egg whites, sugar, and salt into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture registers 160 degrees, about 4 minutes.
• Beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition (meringue will deflate slightly as butter is added). Beat until frosting is smooth and glossy, 3 to 5 minutes.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUES WITH GOOSEBERRY COMPOTE & CREAM

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment and heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. For the meringues, put the egg whites and lemon juice in a large clean bowl (metal or ceramic is best) and whisk with hand beaters until the whites stand in stiff peaks, but are not at all dry or fluffy around the edges.
• Add 1 tbsp of the sugar and whisk again until the whites return to stiff. Repeat until all the sugar has been used and the meringue is thick and glossy. Sprinkle in the hazelnuts; don't stir.
• Spoon 8 blobs of the meringue onto the lined baking sheet, aiming for something roughly egg- or rugby ball-shaped. As you push the meringue off the spoon, the hazelnut will ripple its way through the mixture. Make a small dip in the top of each meringue, ready to hold the cream and fruit later. Bake for 1¼ hrs or until pale golden and crisp. Leave to cool in the oven with the door ajar.
• For the compote, gently heat everything together in a pan until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 3 mins or until the fruit collapses but is still recognisable. Cool. Assemble meringues just before eating: whip the cream and use to top the meringues, then add spoonfuls of compote. Any leftover compote will keep in the fridge for a week or two.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• In pie shell, stir in with your fingers the 4 egg yolks.
• Pour the evaporated milk over the yolks.
• Stir in, with your fingers, the vanilla. In a seperate bowl, mix the brown sugar with the flour and salt, and sprinkle it into the yolk/milk mixture. Do not stir!
• Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the custard is done (sometimes takes longer than 1 hour). When almost done, beat the reserved egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar and beat until glossy and all sugar is dissolved.
• Spread meringue over hot pie, sealing to the edges and bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes or until meringue is golden.

BROWN SUGAR MERINGUES WITH RED WINE PLUMS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. Blend together the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla to make a paste. Whisk the egg whites until they are stiff and glossy, then whisk in the sugar in three goes, adding a little paste and whisking back to firm peaks each time. Keep whisking until the meringue is thick and heavy.
• Spoon six meringue heaps onto the baking sheet, spaced apart, then shape into nests by making dips in the centres with the back of a spoon. Bake for 1 hr, then turn off the oven and leave to cool in the oven for a further hr.
• Put the wine, sugar and cinnamon stick in a medium pan and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the plums, then poach gently for 4-5 mins until just tender. Remove the plums with a slotted spoon, peel off the skins, then set aside.
• Increase the heat under the sauce and boil hard until reduced to a thick syrup, about 5 mins. Pour into a jug; leave to cool.
• To serve, set the meringue nests on serving plates and spoon the crème fraîche into the centres. Place three plum halves on each and drizzle over the sauce. Serve without delay.