Master the art of Italian meringue with this foolproof recipe. Silky, glossy and perfectly stable — ideal for pies, pavlovas, cakes or torching over a classic bombe Alaska.
Ingredients
1 cup caster sugar
½ cup water
4 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp lemon juice
Method
Allow egg whites to come to room temperature.
Place sugar and water in a small saucepan over a medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer. Without stirring, brush down sides of saucepan with a wet pastry brush to remove any sugar crystals.
Place a sugar thermometer in pan and bring syrup to the boil until it reaches soft ball stage 116C (240F) on a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat.
Place egg whites and juice in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until thick and white. Slowly drizzle in hot sugar syrup while continuing to beat until meringue is thick and glossy. Continue to beat until meringue forms firm peaks and mixture is beginning to cool. Allow to cool for 15 minutes.
