Meringues for eaton mess?

[dern]

I'm trying to make meringues for a dish called eton mess for my wife's birthday. I'm using 50g of caster suger per egg white and cooking them for an hour at gas mark 1 (after preheating at gas mark 2) and then leaving them in the oven until all is cool. I want the meringues to be crunchy all the way through as I need to break them in to chunks for the desert. However, the meringues don't cook all the way through. the outside is crisp but the inside is very much like marshmallow in texture. What am I doing wrong and how do I get them to cook all the way through?

Thanks,

Mark

[LordGrover]

Smaller/thinner?

[dern]

I did some smaller ones too with what was left but they were the same. Maybe I need to spread the mixture out in a thin layer although that's not what the recipe tells me to do.

Maybe I'll just buy a bag of them from the shop

[Simpo Two]

Good meringues are sticky/chewy in the middle aren't they?

The ones that go 'bang' in a shower of white dust all over your face are the shop-bought ones.

[dern]

Yes but I think that eton mess requires them to be the crunchy all the way through type... to be honest, I don't really know as I've never had it as I don't like fruit that much

[Simpo Two]

I like Eton Mess so much I really wouldn't mind how the meringues came out. Just give me a bucket and big spoon

[dern]

[muppetdave]

Simpo Two said:

Good meringues are sticky/chewy in the middle aren't they?

The ones that go 'bang' in a shower of white dust all over your face are the shop-bought ones.

That's what I'm inclined to say, and that for Eton Mess it would give a good range of textures.

[Bill]

muppetdave said:

Simpo Two said:

Good meringues are sticky/chewy in the middle aren't they?

The ones that go 'bang' in a shower of white dust all over your face are the shop-bought ones.

That's what I'm inclined to say, and that for Eton Mess it would give a good range of textures.

There's nothing as satisfying as having your molars clogged with gooey meringue

[miniman]

Variation on Eton Mess - simply add a couple of smashed up Crunchie bars and a bag of Cadbury's Clusters.

Et voila: Chavlova.

[spikeyhead]

I'll take a guess that your gas mk 1 and 2 isn't very accurately controlled, try it more tarka, ie a little hotter.

[Chim Girl]

Good old Delia suggests 3 to 4 hours at the lowest temperature your oven will operate at, then leave them in the oven until its completely cool.

[gobuddygo]

The wife loves Eton Mess and having tried loads of times (and mainly failed) to get the Meringues perfect, I now buy Morrisons the best Meringues they come in a small bucket and work perfectly every time.

[Xtriple129]

My good lady says to add a tiny drop of vinegar and leave them in the oven for longer/until they have thoroughly cooled.

[Oakey]

dern said:

Yes but I think that eton mess requires them to be the crunchy all the way through type... to be honest, I don't really know as I've never had it as I don't like fruit that much

You've never watched Come Dine With Me then?

[Simpo Two]

Xtriple129 said:

My good lady says to add a tiny drop of vinegar and leave them in the oven for longer/until they have thoroughly cooled.

'That's for poached eggs not meringues!'




I'm seriously wondering if Dave Lamb is my brother.

[Slaav]

I believe that the mantra for meringue is as follows:

"low and slow"

i.e. an hour is not long enough. If you want proper cooked through meringues, then 3 hours should do the trick at Gas 1. 4 hrs at the lowest possible working temperature will do teh trick.

I also have heard somewhere add a splash of vinegar to help them along; you dont taste it obviously due to the small amount of sugar present


Try again!



ps - Porpoer meringue is actually meant to be a slightly claggy texture in the middle

[Bob the Planner]

The soft in the middle works well as a contrast of textures (soft and silky ). I definately prefer them that way. TOH is the master at this though.

Edited by Bob the Planner on Friday 29th April 10:42

[sgrimshaw]

Vinegar is certainly the way to ensure nice chewy centres, but for Eton Mess why not buy commercial meringue nests and bash them up.

[Disco You]

Being as it's Eton mess I would just buy them in, once it's mixed in with in lovely cream and fruit you won't notice.