Meringue Sandwiches Recipes

ALMOND MERINGUE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until whites are shiny and firm, about 3 minutes. Fold in ground almonds.
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with Ateco #864 star tip with meringue. Pipe out 2-inch-round cookies onto prepared baking sheets.
• Place in the oven, and bake until the meringues just start to color, about 15 minutes. Turn off the oven, and let the meringues dry for 4 hours or overnight. For a quicker method, reduce the heat after 15 minutes to 175 degrees. and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, and let cool completely.
• Meanwhile, scald cream in a small saucepan. Place chocolate in a medium mixing bowl, and pour hot cream over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is smooth and melted. Let cool completely. Fill a pastry bag with chocolate filling, and pipe out onto half the cookies -- the bottom sandwich halves. Make sandwiches with remaining cookies, and serve. Sandwiches can be stored in airtight containers for 2 to 3 days.

MERINGUES

Steps:

• Whip whites until foamy. Gradually add sugar and whip until very, very stiff, about 5 minutes. On low speed gradually add powdered sugar and whip 10 seconds. Do not over mix!
• With a large star tip pipe onto a parchment paper lined sheet pan either finger shapes or round rosettes. Let dry overnight over a hot oven or place in a 200 degree oven for 4 hours.
• Whip cream with sugar until stiff. Pipe whipped cream on finger shaped meringue and top with another finger to form a sandwich. Tuck sliced fruit and mint leaves into cream laying meringue on its side. For rosette meringues, pipe cream on top an place fruit and mint leaves on cream.

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.

ULTIMATE MERINGUE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 110C/ 100C fan/gas ¼.
• Line 2 baking sheets with non-stick liner or parchment paper (meringue can stick on greaseproof paper and foil).
• Tip 4 large egg whites into a large clean mixing bowl (not plastic). Beat them on medium speed with an electric hand whisk until the mixture resembles a fluffy cloud and stands up in stiff peaks when the blades are lifted.
• Now turn the speed up and start to add 115g caster sugar, a dessertspoonful at a time. Continue beating for 3-4 seconds between each addition. It's important to add the sugar slowly at this stage as it helps prevent the meringue from weeping later. However, don't over-beat. When ready, the mixture should be thick and glossy.
• Sift one third of the 115g icing sugar over the mixture, then gently fold it in with a big metal spoon or rubber spatula. Continue to sift and fold in the remaining icing sugar a third at a time. Again, don't over-mix. The mixture should now look smooth and billowy.
• Scoop up a heaped dessertspoonful of the mixture. Using another dessertspoon, ease it on to the baking sheet to make an oval shape. Or just drop them in rough rounds, if you prefer.
• Bake for 1 ½-1 ¾ hours in a fan oven, 1 ¼ hours in a conventional or gas oven, until the meringues sound crisp when tapped underneath and are a pale coffee colour.
• Leave to cool on the trays or a cooling rack. (The meringues will now keep in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for a month.) Serve two meringues sandwiched together with a generous dollop of softly whipped double cream.

PEPPERMINT MERINGUE SANDWICHES WITH CHOCOLATE FILLING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 175°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Fit a pastry bag with a small open-star tip (such as Ateco #22).
• Make meringues: Put egg whites and sugar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water, and stir gently until sugar has dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in peppermint extract.
• Using a new small paintbrush, paint two or three stripes of red gel-paste food coloring inside the pastry bag. Fill bag with 1 to 2 cups meringue. Pipe small (3/4-inch high) star shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Refill bag as necessary, adding food coloring each time. Bake cookies until crisp but not brown, about 1 hour 40 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks.
• Meanwhile, make ganache: Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until just simmering. Pour over chocolate in a small bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let ganache cool at room temperature, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until thick enough to hold its shape, about 45 minutes. (If ganache sets before using, reheat in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water; repeat the cooling process.)
• Fill a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip (such as Ateco #5) with ganache. Pipe a small amount onto bottom of one meringue. Sandwich with another. Repeat with remaining ganache and meringues. Transfer to wire racks; let set 30 minutes. Cookies can be stored in a single layer in airtight containers at room temperature up to 2 days.
• Use a new small paintbrush to brush two or three evenly spaced stripes of gel-paste food coloring along the length of the inside of a pastry bag fitted with an open-star tip. Fill the bag with meringue, and pipe star shapes onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Each time you refill the bag with meringue, paint new stripes inside.

GINGER-CREAM MERINGUE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Trace 50 (2-inch) circles on large sheets of parchment paper; place on baking sheets. Set aside. Place 3/4 cup of the almonds in food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Set aside. Beat egg whites with electric mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Add sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating until sugar is well blended and dissolved after each addition. Gently stir in finely chopped almonds.
• Spoon 1 Tbsp. egg white mixture onto each parchment circle; lightly spread to edge of circle. Top each with 3 or 4 of the remaining sliced almonds. Bake 25 to 30 min. or until meringues are golden brown. (Meringues should lift easily off the paper and sound hollow when tapped.) Cool completely.
• Mix cream cheese, ginger and honey until well blended. Spread about 2 tsp. of the cream cheese mixture onto each of 25 meringues just before serving; top each with a second meringue to make sandwich.