Meringue waits for now man, thus have everything ready for making meringue before you start, e.g. the preparation of the bake sheet. Follow Chef Suné Niemand’s tips for the perfect meringue.

There are three different types of meringue which can be used to produce a number of different preparations:

French or common meringue
Swiss meringue
Italian meringue

Although all contain egg whites and sugar, their preparation is considerably different.

French or common meringue

Is made by simply whipping the egg whites and sugar "cold" to the desired consistency. French meringue can be used for making meringue shells, bases for cakes, incorporating into mousses and creams, and piping simple decorations.
Swiss meringue

Is made by whipping the egg whites with the sugar over a hot water bath until they reach a temperature of 45°C. They are whipped in a mixing machine until cold and immediately piped into different shapes and baked or "dried" in the oven. Swiss meringue can also be used for the same preparation as French meringue and is used to assemble and decorate various cakes and tortes.

Italian meringue

Is made by whipping the egg whites in a machine and then adding a cooked sugar mixture to them. The sugar is cooked to the soft ball stage (115°C) and then added in a thin, steady stream to the already whipped egg whites. It is then mixed at medium speed until quite cool. Make sure the initial meringue is fairly stiff, but not over whipped, before adding the cooked sugar. This step is very important or otherwise the meringue will not be able to hold the heat of the sugar and will result in a melted white soup!! The same will happen if the meringue is over beaten, thus the whites will not be able to absorb the sugar properly and the finished product will be soft and runny. Italian meringue is used in various preparations, butter ceams, sorbet and to decorate frozen desserts such as baked Alaska. When used for decoration purposes, it is usually browned under a salamander or with a blow torch to give a delicate brown colour.

Meringue with chopped pecans and biscuits

Method

1. Beat the egg whites for 3 minutes on high speed, after one minute start adding the sugar
   (mixed with baking powder and vanilla) in intervals of 30 seconds.
2. Fold the nuts and crackers into the meringue and bake in a parchment lined tray for 20 minutes at 160°C,
   serve with vanilla cream.