Boulangerist

A meringue is a preparation of egg whites and sugar mixed at high speed to incorporate air. The resulting mix is light and fluffy, and can be used in different applications.  There are three different kinds of meringue: French: Mixed at room temperature. It's not very stable or pipeable, not usable for buttercream but it's good for preparations that require further cooking, like mouses, macarons and souffles. It can increase its volume after mixed. Can't be torched. Swiss: Mix is heated up to about 45-50 ºC on a water bath before it's whisked at high speed. Stable and good for decoration. Can be torched. Italian: Sugar at 115-120ºC is poured into the whites while whisking. The most stable and also good for decoration. Better shelf life than Swiss meringue. Can be torched. Notes: Water and fat negatively affect meringues, so it's very important that utensils are very dry and clean.

 In Swiss Meringue, the egg whites are "cooked" on a water bath, then sugar is added and whipped until dissolved. The mix is then whisked at high speed. Ingredients: Pasteurized Egg Whites 1 part Granulated Sugar 2 parts Instructions Whisk whites over a bain marie until they get foamy (1-2') Add all sugar and keep whisking over bain marie until it reaches ~50 degrees. There shouldn't be any grains of sugar Transfer to mixer and whisk 1' @ Sp 6, then increase gradually to Sp 8 (8:30) Check for maximum volume using the bowl wall test Tips Keep the temperature controled (<55ºC) to avoid cooking the whites Whisking should be fast and continuous Keep maximum speed at 8-9 to prevent breaking the meringue structure and loosing volume Don't let the meringue sit still. If time is needed, reduce to Sp 3 If the volume doesn't increase, a bit of acid (lemon juice, cream of tartar) may help. If that doesn't work, start from scratch. If dry meringue shapes are cr...

 Pre-roll. If the sponge won't be filled-rolled the same day, it will need to be pre-rolled for 2 hours. Brush Simple Syrup to keep flexibility Rest for 10-15 seconds and sparkle granulated sugar Cover with oiled parchment Separate sponge from sides of tray using a knife Roll the sponge on its widest side Let it rest for ~2 hours at RT Tips Don't add too much SS as the sponge will become to moist and sweet Granulated sugar will prevent parchment from sticking to sponge

Ingredients: All Purpose Flour 100.000% 100 100 g Eggs (6) 300.000% 300 300 g Sugar 100.000% 100 100 g Whisk whole eggs over bain marie (eggs should reach about 45ºC) When eggs are warming, add sugar and whisk until sugar grains are dissolved (~43-45ºC ) Transfer eggs to mixer and mix at Sp 4-5 increasing quickly to Sp 7-9 Egg colour will change from mustard yellow to a lighter colour in about 10 minutes. Sift the flour and powders in the meantime. After ~7 minutes, perform wall height tests to make sure mix has reached max volume Once max volume has been reached, add sifted flour Mix with a whisk going back a forth gently trying to keep as much air as possible (30") Check SG to be 0.4-0.5 Oil a half tray and line it with parchment Pour the batter on the parchment and spread with offset spatula Make sure the spread is even (just over 1 cm to 1.5) Bake immediately for about 7-10 minutes at 400 ºF Once baked, check for doneness by pressing lightly in the center. Cake should bounce b...