Australian Women's Weekly (1933 - 1982), Saturday 13 June 1936, page 55


MERINGUE MAGIC

MERINGUES AND MERINGUE GATEAU as Ruth Furst makes them. See recipes on this page.

FILLING small meringue cases with whipped cream.

BY RUTH FURST

Cooking Expert to The Australian

Women's Weekly

Learn how to make this delicacy and serve it in all manner of luscious and decorative ways

IT is wonderful what a difference a pretty garnish makes

to the plainest dish. For baked pudding no garnish

is so effective as a prettily-tinted meringue. Grown-ups, as well as kiddies, simply love it, for it gives an air of mystery to any pudding.

And, of course, everyone loves meringues, those light, easilymade, delectable affairs that appear at parties or come to the table as the main sweets course—decorative, cream-filled, nut-garnished.

SOME points to remember in

the making of meringue: The freshness of the egg-white

used must be beyond question; must be cold, and free from any yolk. The sugar should be fine, sifted, if possible, before use. The utensils used should be free from grease, and last, but not least, the oven should be at the right temperature for baking.

MERINGUES No. 1

Whites 4 eggs, 6oz. sugar, pinch

salt.

Add salt to whites, and beat briskly till stiff and frothy. Add the sugar a teaspoon at a time, beating well. Brush thick white paper with butter, sprinkle with flour, and shake evenly over and lay on wooden sheet. Drop meringue mixture in spoonfuls on to paper, about half-inch apart. If you twirl the remainder of the mixture off the spoon you will get a snail-like effect, or if you want fancy shapes force through rosepipe and bag. Bake in a very slow oven from 45 to 60 minutes. If large they may take 1½ to 2 hours. The wooden sheet does not heat as much as tin, and thus protects the meringue from cooking too quickly.

MERINGUES No. 2

Four whites of eggs, 8oz. sugar, 1 tablespoon cornflour, essence.

Mix sugar and cornflour well together and place in basin. Make a well in the centre, pour in the unbeaten whites and essence. Mix well with wooden spoon. Stand basin over saucepan of hot water and cook slowly till thick, stirring occasionally. The water should only simmer. Takes from 45 to 60 minutes. Then shape and cook as for meringue No. 1.

MERINGUE FOR PUDDINGS

Whites 2 eggs, 3 to 4 oz. sugar.

Beat the whites until stiff, add sugar slowly, beating well. Spread or place in rough heaps over pudding. Bake in slow oven 20 to 30 minutes until crisp and a pale brown.

COCOA MERINGUES

Whites 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon sugar, pinch cinnamon, 3oz. blanched and chopped almonds, 1 teaspoon cocoa to each egg-white, pinch salt.

Beat whites with pinch salt. Mix sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon. Add gradually to the whites, then fold in the nuts. Place in rough heaps on floured and greased paper. Bake in very slow oven till a very pale fawn color. Leave

on tin till cool.

MERINGUED PINEAPPLE

Choose a firm, ripe pineapple. Peel it, and with sharp knife cut out the hard centre stem. Fill the hollow with a mixture of preserved cherries and chopped nuts, fresh cherries if in season or a mixture of fruit salad. Place pine-apple on its side in long fireproof dish. Beat whites 2 eggs with pinch salt. Add

gradually 4oz. sugar, beat well. Pour meringue over pineapple. Bake in a very slow oven until meringue is crisp and pale brown Serve hot or cold.

MERINGUE GATEAU

Meringue mixture, whipped cream, chopped nuts, cherries.

Cut out a round or oval of paper 2 inches larger than required. Mark with pencil the size required, grease, and sprinkle with flour. Lay on wooden sheet. Spread meringue mixture on the paper just to the pencil mark, keep-ing as even as possible, and about half-

inch thick. With remainder of mixture

force roses all round the edge of meringue, putting second row if deep case is required, or it can be made into rings, marking on paper each one 1½ inches smaller. Bake in a very slow oven till set and crisp. When cold fill centre with whipped cream, flavored and sweetened. Decorate with chopped nuts and cherries, or if you have made rings lay the flat base on dish, then place rings in order, filling centre with cream and finishing top with rose of cream and small meringue.

MERINGUE CAKE

Eight ounces butter, 8oz. sugar, 4 eggs, 8oz. plain flour, small tea-spoon baking powder, 1 extra table-spoon plain flour, lemon cheese, 3 whites eggs, 6oz. sugar, essence.

Cream butter well, add flour, beat till white. Separate whites and yolks of eggs. Beat whites stiffly, add yolks, then sugar, and beat till thick and frothy. Add this mixture gradually to the butter and flour, then stir in the extra tablespoon flour and baking powder well sifted. Pour into two nine-inch well-greased sandwich tins, or one eight-inch round cake tin. Bake the sandwich from 25 to 30 minutes, or the cake 50 to 60 minutes. When cooked, turn on to cake-cooler. When cold, join sandwich together with filling or split the cake, fill, and join again. Make meringue by beating the whites stiffly, add sugar very slowly a teaspoon at a time. Beat well. Pour over the top of cake, sides, too, if liked, and ornament the top with rose-pipe. Stand on a flat tin. Bake in a very slow oven till meringue is set, and a very pale

fawn color.

MERINGUE RICE PUDDING

Two and a half cups milk, 3 des-sertspoons rice, whites 2 eggs, 3 tablespoons sugar, lemon rind, glace cherries, 4 tablespoons sugar for

meringue.

Wash rice, put into fireproof dish with sugar, lemon rind, and milk. Cook in a slow oven till mixture is a creamy consistency and rice tender. Keep stirred to prevent skin forming. Allow to become quite cold. Cover with layer of chopped glace cherries. Whisk whites, add sugar slowly. Heap on top of the rice. Return to cool oven till crisp and pale fawn color. Serve cold.

MERINGUE DROPS

Whites, 2 eggs, 30z. icing sugar, whipped cream, grated chocolate,

sugar, vanilla.

Whip whites with pinch salt. Add gradually the well-sifted icing sugar. Drop in small heaps on greased tin. Bake in cool oven till set. Slightly whip cream. Add sugar, essence, and blended chocolate, then whisk till thick.

Remove drop carefully from tin when cold, and sandwich two together with chocolate cream. Serve on paper d'oyley on fancy plate.

NUT MERINGUES

Three whites of eggs, 6oz. sugar, 2 cups chopped nuts, vanilla.

Beat whites of eggs to a stiff froth with a pinch of salt. Add sugar and chopped nuts gradually, making into a

stiff mixture. Roll into balls. Place on buttered tins. Bake in slow oven till pale brown, and leave on tin till cold.

COCONUT MERINGUES Meringue mixture, coconut.

Make the meringue mixture. Place in a bag with plain pipe and force through to a thick finger-length. Sprinkle thickly with coconut. Bake in slow oven till a pale brown.