A heated sugar meringue will always yeild you a firmer, more stable meringue - so go the extra effort and ditch the French in favour of the Italian (heheh like what I did here?)
Ingredients
180 grams egg whites - room temp
380 grams caster sugar
30 grams liquid glucose
80 mls water
1/4 x teaspoon cream of tartar
Gel colour of your choice - I prefer Chefmaster these days, better colours
Method
Pop sugar, glucose and water into a clean sauce pan and heat on high.
Pop egg whites into a cleaned mixing bowl.
When your sugar reaches 115 degrees celcius, turn your mixer on for a quick whisk.
When your sugar reaches 120 degrees celcius, Take off the heat, reduce the mixer speed slightly as you are about to pour in scalding hot sugar and you don't want it slurping out and hitting you as you will get 3rd degree burns!
So in a steady stream, pour into the mixer while it's going - try to get it between the bowl and the whisk.
Once all in, turn the mixer back up to high and leave on high, add in the cream of tartar and whisk until the temperature drops below 35 degrees Celsius.
If you are going to colour it, add in a now, remember less is more - the more color gel you add, the more you break down and wet the mixture.
Pipe it, dollop it, smear it, do with it what you please now and don't let it sit, so work quickly to do what you wanted to do with it, directly onto a baking paper lined baking tray (or sil mat if you like them)
Bake at below 100 degrees Celcius - I prefer 75 to 50 degrees for as many hours as it takes to ensure they are baked through and dry! For a large Sultane a good 5 to 6 hours
Now, i am not going to tell you how long to bake them for, as every design is different and every oven is different. Just check on them once in a while - they need to be baked through - hollow to the tap on the bottom - and left to "dry". My motto is long and slow... The higher the temp, the great the risk of cracking, colour discoloration, weeping etc
Store in a air proof container with food grade silica pouched/packs for longevity.
1 comment
Hi, just wondering what the glucose syrup is for in this recipe and if it’s important? Your French meringues don’t have it in them and when I make Italian Meeingue Buttercream I don’t use it. Want to try this recipe to make Sultanes and Kisses, but don’t have any glucose syrup at home, so wondering if I can make without or if I need to wait until I get some next time I’m at the shops? Thanks!