Meringue is the most famous topping for almost every dessert item. It is a treat for people with a sweet tooth. But the combination of meringue and pie is the most adored and celebrated dessert among both chefs and food enthusiasts. Therefore, it is on the beginners’ first list of learning. But for those who are new to this, meringue is basically a creme dessert element made of egg white, sugar and an edible acidic ingredient (optional). It is used on pies, cakes and pudding as a creamy topping. It is absolutely delicious and easy to make meringue for pie. That is why it is a favorite of the dessert lovers.
Health Benefit of Meringue
It might concern many and raise the question if the meringue is actually good for health or not as it is made from raw ingredients. Well, the answer is yes. It is not only safe to eat but also it carries many health benefits. Meringue is high in protein and peptide. The acidic element of the meringue is sometimes lemon, vinegar or cream of tartar, which adds potassium and amino acid deduces all the harmful substances making the meringue creamier and longer lasting. So, it is not only safe to eat, it provides many necessary nutrients too. It is low in calories and contains zero fat. Sugar levels are optimal. So, you should never worry about eating some extra bits of it.
Tools You Need to Make Meringue
There are a few tools you can use to make the creamy pie topping. Let’s look at some of them.
Beating tool: You can use a whisk, a stand mixer or a hand egg beater. Any of them would work. But if you need to make meringue every day or often, then we would suggest investing in an electric hand beater. It cuts your time and effort in half with excellent results. The Cookers World reviewed some top rated electric and manual egg beaters that you may find useful.
Measuring tools: Measuring cups and spoons are very important for the purpose. Because sugar and vinegar/tartar needed to be put in a precise amount or the recipe will go wrong.
Ingredients:
- 4 egg white.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar/vinegar
How to Make Meringue for Pie?
The ingredients measurements mentioned above are enough for a 7inch-9inch pie. You add or deduct the amounts as per your need. Now it is time to get into the most important part, the cooking process. We will walk you through it thoroughly. Let’s get into it.
-
Step 01: Cornstarch Mixture
Mix the water and cornstarch in a bowl. Then heat up the mixture in a pan or in the microwave oven for 30-45 second on low heat until it becomes a clear mixture and thickens up. Now, you need to Stir it once and turn off the heat. keep it aside to cool off.
-
Step 02: Getting the Egg Ready
While the cornstarch mixture is cooking off, take the egg whites, cream of tartar/vinegar and vanilla extract in the bowl you wish to make marine in. Beat it for one minute or until soft edges form. If the whisk has smooth curly cream tips, that is Your cue tip that the eggs are ready to add sugar.
-
Step 03: Add Sugar
So, after getting the eggs ready with soft curly peaks, you need to start adding the sugar. Remember that you have to add sugar 1 tablespoon a d at a time and beat it on high power until the sugar is well dissolved. Then add another spoon. Do not add too much sugar at one. It might compromise with the required texture of the meringue for your pie. So, going with one tablespoon at a time is the ideal measurement.
-
Step 04: Add Cornstarch Mixture
Now, that your egg and sugar is ready with its creamy textures, it is time to add the cornstarch mixture you had kept aside to cool down. By now it is supposed to cool down to a warm thick texture, exactly what is required. Add the warm mixture to the egg and sugar mixture slowly and keep beating. While adding the cornstarch mixture, you need to make sure that you do it gradually and not at once and the beating should not be paused. Beat it until it is glossy and stiff.
-
Step 05: Check If It’s Ready
You know your meringue is ready when it is glossy fluffy and it does not drip any more. So you can do a quick flip fowl test to be sure. If the cream is not dripping off the Whisk and is relatively stiff, then flip the bowl upside down slowly, if it moves like dripping the store and beat for another minute. But if it stays stiff, your perfect meringue is ready to go on the top of the pie.
Additional Step
After you are done making the meringue, immediately put it on your hot pie. It will set better. For extra flavor, you can torch the tips of the creamy surface lightly or add some berries and cherries on the top as garnish. It will not only add more flavors in taste but also it will make the pie look like a masterpiece.
Bottom Line
So, this is how easily you can make meringue for your pie. It will take only 8 ingredients and 30 minutes of your time to make a restaurant like perfect meringue without any struggle. There are some pro tips you can follow. Like, you can use powdered/icing sugar. It will help with textures and it will dissolve with eggs better and you can put the cornstarch mixture in the freezer to cold off fast. So now you know how to make glossy, fluffy and tasty meringue for pies. You can make it any time, in any kitchen. Hence, you can spare yourself from spending on expensive whip cream and other toppings. You have got a Super easy to make, delicious and healthy alternative; the meringue. The recipe is perfect for both family serving and business purposes.