Merengue - Wolke der Verführung

Merengue – Cloud of Seduction

Pane-Bistecca

In Switzerland, merengue are very well known; they are traditional pastries from Meiringen, hence the name. By the way, they were invented by an Italian baker, not a Swiss one. They are eaten with whipping cream, sometimes with vermicelles, (chestnut puree) or just as “blutt” (naked) as we say.

I’ve been baking them for a long time, because you can’t buy them here in Asia. I tried them several times until they were perfect, because otherwise they taste like nothing, but now I got it! Actually, they are the perfect pastry because they are super to prepare and store and you can play with all kinds of flavors.

Prep time

25 min

Cooking time

1 h 40 min

Portions

Total time

2 h 5 min

Ingredients

For about 30 small Merengue:

5 Egg whites
1/2 tsp Cream of Tartar
240 g powdered Sugar

For taste either:

1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Coffee Extract
1/2 tsp Strawberry Extract
1/2 tsp Orange Extract
1/2 tsp Cocoa Powder
1/2 tsp Almond Extract

Instructions

Step 1

Beat the egg whites until stiff, please use a cold metal or glass bowl! Towards the end, add the cream of tartar and continue beating. Then slowly add the sugar. Keep beating, I do this with a food processor, otherwise my arm would fall off. You beat much longer than normal egg whites!

Step 2

I divided the quantity into three and made one quantity with vanilla, one with coffee and one with strawberry and all three turned out great.

Step 3

The mixture is done when rubbed between your fingers no sugar is felt.

Step 4

Put the mixture in a piping bag and pipe onto a baking sheet.

Step 5

Bake in the oven at 110 C degrees for 90 minutes. They dry more than they bake. Then let them stand for another 10 minutes with the oven door slightly open. Then let them dry overnight.

Notes

The merengue can be baked 2-3 days in advance, but they must be kept tightly closed or even frozen. They are served with whipped cream or vermicelles.