It crunches. It’s soft. It’s a light, airy foundation for juicy fruits and tangy fruit curd. I love a meringue base for a summer dessert.
I hadn’t made a meringue for several years, so I felt intimidated. Would it whip up right? I didn’t want to waste my efforts. Which kind of meringue should I try? I had made French meringue most recently, but wanted to try something different. I decided on Swiss meringue for its stability so that I could play with the shapes a bit more.
I found an Angel Pie Shell recipe from Zoebakes.com. This recipe makes a glossy meringue that was easy to work with. In her pictures, the baker plays with the top of the pie shell, lifting the meringue on the edges to create tall peaks that can contain a topping. I tried out some pie shells and even tried making them into donut shapes, which did not end up working. It’s fun, and it’s delicious. It’s really up to you what you create!
Swiss Meringue Angel Pie Shell (Zoebakes.com)
- 1 cup (240ml) egg whites from about 5 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- Pinch salt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 250°F. Butter a 9-inch pie plate.
- Bring about an inch of water in a saucepan to a simmer. Combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over the simmering water and stir the egg mixture with a rubber spatula until it is hot and all of the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and place the bowl onto the stand mixer, fit with a whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until very thick, glossy, and stiff peaks when you lift the beater, about 8+ minutes. The mixture will be just warmer than room temperature, but not hot. Beat in the vanilla.
- Spread the meringue into the prepared pie plate. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, turn off heat, and allow the pie shell to cool in the oven. This may take an additional hour. (Also the time depends on the size you are working with).
Know your Meringue
French Meringue: Simple, light, airy. It is made by gradually whisking raw sugar into uncooked egg whites until stiff peaks form. It must be baked in a low oven. It is ideal for delicate treats like macarons and pavlovas.
Swiss Meringue: Dense, glossy, and marshmallow-like. It is made by whisking egg whites and sugar together over a simmering water bath to warm the eggs, then whipping the mixture until it cools. Good for icing and for pie.
Italian Meringue: Stable, satiny, and dense. It is prepared by slowly streaming boiling sugar syrup into softly whipped egg whites while continuously mixing. It requires no baking. Good for lemon pie topping or Baked Alaska.
Whether you shape your meringue in a pie pan or go freeform, the result is beautiful. Is this healthy? Not particularly, but it doesn’t contain any additives or chemicals like something you might buy. You can decide how sweet to make it, and the nutrition of the berries does give you a boost. You can also use frozen berries and make a compote, or just eat them fresh.
By Anita Oldham | Photos by Melissa Donald
P.S. Check out this past article on grilling Light the Grill.
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