ReceptnaptárSpanish foam
Spanish foam (meringue) is the simplest egg-white sweet, yet it demands the most care: crisp on the outside, light and airy inside. It has only two ingredients, so success depends on whisking the egg whites properly and keeping the oven temperature low. Old recipes spoke of a 'lukewarm oven'; today we make it at a precise temperature, on baking paper.
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Ingredients
Method
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- Preheat the oven to 100°C (90°C if fan-assisted) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Whisk the egg whites with the salt and lemon juice in a clean, grease-free bowl with a stand mixer or hand mixer until foamy. Once foamy, add the icing sugar a spoonful at a time, slowly, whisking all the while. Whisk for about 8-10 minutes in total, until you have a stiff, glossy, thick meringue that does not slide out of the bowl when turned upside down.
- Spoon the meringue, or pipe it with a piping bag (star or round nozzle), into mounds or shapes about 4-5 cm across on the baking paper, 2 cm apart.
- Dry (do not bake) at 100°C for 1.5-2 hours, until completely dry and hard on the outside and easy to lift from the paper. They should not take on any colour.
- Switch the oven off and leave the meringues in with the door slightly ajar for another 30 minutes, then cool completely on a rack. Store in an airtight container.
Based on: Malatinszky Fanny szakácskönyve (a classic Hungarian cookbook), modernised. Calories and protein are estimated.
Tips
- The bowl and whisk must be completely grease-free; a single drop of fat or yolk will stop the whites from whipping up.
- Add the sugar slowly, a spoonful at a time, so that it dissolves completely and the meringue turns glossy.
- Dry them at a low temperature rather than baking them: the meringue must not brown.
- Do not open the oven during the first hour, or the meringue may collapse.
- In humid weather the meringue softens, so put it into an airtight container straight after it cools.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the meringue stick to the paper?
Because it has not dried out completely. Leave it in the oven longer, or bake it for another 15-20 minutes.
How long can it be stored?
In an airtight container in a dry place for 2-3 weeks, but depending on humidity it may soften sooner.
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