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Caramel On a Meringue? Why?

 
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jimmy.jazzy



Joined: 15 Mar 2010
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Mon Mar 15, 2010 3:23 am    Post subject: Caramel On a Meringue? Why? Reply with quote

Hi,

I decided to follow a very basic recipe for French meringue, and in some ways turned out very well. The inside was similar to cottoncandy and it looked about right. However, two things didn't go so well. The first is a little bit more basic: the skin of the meringue was a totally different texture from the inside and didn't taste very good. I suppose that if I let it dry longer the skin would get dryer. The second was more puzzling. I made these meringues on parchment paper laid on top of a baking sheet and baked at 200 degrees for 2.5 hours. When I looked in after an hour however, I saw that a liquid had seeped out of the meringue and had spread out on the parchment paper. When I took out the meringues, I discovered that a caramel had formed on the bottom and sides of the meringues that, though being as tasty as caramel is, ruined the effect of the piped meringues. What do could have caused the sugar in the meringues to separate, and what can I do to fix this problem?

Here is my recipe:

1 cup confectioner's sugar added periodically to 4 egg whites beaten with a pinch of cream of tartar and salt added to it. Then a pinch or two of cocoa was incorporated, along with some slivered almonds and immediately piped onto a baking sheet and put in the oven.


Thanks in advance!
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curryman



Joined: 25 Aug 2009
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 11:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's what I think:

- use castor sugar instead of confectioner's. The latter is not heat stable and highly hygroscopic which means it attracts moisture from the air. You may be unwittingly adding water to your meringue this way. Also, if the confectioner's sugar is actually "snow powder", then it contains some form of fat which of course loosens your meringue and makes it "weep".

- 2.5 hrs seem like a long baking/drying time unless your meringues are huge or your oven's thermostat isn't telling the truth. Such a lengthy baking time allows your meringue to loosen and weep. Normally it take around 1.5 hrs.

- if the cocoa wasn't added in the end, then its fat may also destroy the meringue's framework, once again causing loosening and weeping.
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