Fool proof Meringue please

[Liza]

Hi, anyone have a good recipe ?

I want to make a strawberry and raspberry pavlova, but i am not great at meringues.

Also I have my own eggs which are obviously not standard sizes, do I need to buy some to get the recipe accurate ?

Thanks in advance.

[Jeanied]

Hi Liza - I have used Nigella's pavlova recipe in the past with some success. Well, I liked the result anyway!
BBC - Food - Recipes : Prodigious pavlova

I think the key is to use room temperature eggs - weigh them whole - a medium egg is about 60g and you use 55g of caster sugar for each medium egg white. Make sure the bowl has no trace of grease (Nigella used lemon juice wiped round I think) and you do not allow one speck of yolk in the white otherwise it doesn't beat to a stiff peak.

Sounds like a yummy thing to make, Liza.

[Nicos]

I have to admit that I've never made a successful marangue/pavlova...

I have tried everything Jeanie suggested but they still failed- the only thing I wonder if I did wrong was using too fresh eggs?....would that make a difference? If so- how old is best???

[Jeanied]

In what way did they go wrong, Nicos?

[Liza]

Thank you Jeanied

[Liza]

Mine, I have only made a couple ages ago, are always flat !

[Nicos]

flat as a pancake!!!!

[Nicos]

we must have had the same domestic science techer liza!!!!

[Liza]

Lol Nicos

My Sponges are the same !

[Jeanied]

Flat ones - ah, so that is all about beating the egg whites, not the cooking part, as the pavs rise very slightly as they cook and then shrink back a bit inside the outer crust.
Slightly older egg whites should help - as the albumen is not quite so thick and it beats up better. Then add the sugar in stages.
To be honest I just use my Kitchenaid - (had to boast a bit!) but have had success with the hand held electric whisk too.

[Jeanied]

Now flat sponges is to do with something different. Not sure what, but I think the freshness of the eggs is important there. And oven temperature. Hope Ginger comes along soon as her baking is diviiiiine!!! (Her oven is kaput at the moment though!)

[Liza]

To be honest I just use my Kitchenaid - (had to boast a bit!)

Would Lurvvv one of those !

[julesapple]

I've always used large egg whites and 50g caster sugar to each white.

As Jeanie says, sparklingly clean grease-free bowl. You can use a food mixer or an electric handmixer - never try it with a handwhisk unless you have really good strong arms.

Whisk the whites in the bowl on their own until you can turn the bowl upside down and they don't fall out. Then add the sugar one teaspoonful at a time and beat for two or three minutes between each spoonful. After you've added all of the sugar and give the whites a final beating, add one teaspoon of cornflour mixed with one teaspoon of white wine vinegar (you can use ordinary white vinegar, but not brown) Beat that in well, as it helps to dry the meringues.

Put the meringues onto a baking tray lined with parchment (you can draw a circle on the underside to guide your pavlova shape) then into an oven preheated to Gas 2, 150c or 300f. Leave to dry out for several hours, watching occasionally in case you need to turn the tray around to colour evenly. It's best to turn off the oven and leave the meringues to go cold in the oven - they'll crack badly if you take them out into colder air.

Jules

[Nicos]

I've heard they can also be made in the microwave- anyone tried that???

[chris]

My foolproof one is from Waitrose - it's amazing.