A brief history of meringue
The word meringue first appeared in the French language in 1692 in "le cuisinier royal et bourgeois" by François MASSIALOT (1660 -1733). In it, he gives the recipe of his day. But even earlier, in 1653, we find a recipe in "le pastissier françois" (the French pastry chef) by François de LA VARENNE. What's certain is that King Stanislas Leszczynski (1677-1766) enjoyed them at his court in Lunéville, where his "chef d'office" Joseph GILLIERS regularly made them for him. The meringue conquers Versailles with Queen Marie LESKCZYNSKA, wife of Louis XV, who brings GILLIERS to the Court. Marie Antoinette adored meringue , which was a regular feature at her table. And it was probably Antonin CAREME, "cook to kings and king of cooks", who in the 19th century came up with the idea of using a piping bag to pipe meringue, giving it its characteristic ribbed shape.
Dessert drawings by Antonin CAREME. Illustration chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: BNF
As for desserts, meringue can be found in meringue glacé, vacherin (with almond paste and ice cream), pavlova (with strawberries) or Merveilleux with chocolate.
Our recipe
Meringuettes, ideal for tea or coffee, or at the end of a meal. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Depositphotos.com
The ingredients
Serves 4:
- 3 egg whites
- 150 grams white sugar
- 1 pinch salt
(multiply by 2 for 8 people, by 4 for 16, etc.).
Egg white. Photo chosen by monsieurdefrance.com: Depositphoto.
The process
Preheat your oven to 100°C (thermostat 3).
- First, separate the whites from the yolks.
- Put the egg whites in a bowl, mix and add a pinch of salt.
- beat the egg whites until stiff, in other words: beat them with a whisk at a fairly high speed
- When they start to rise, add the sugar a little at a time. But not too quickly.
- When your eggs are well beaten, you can pour them into a piping bag and press to release small portions.
- Or take a large spoon and scoop into your bowl.
Place the meringues on greaseproof paper and place on a baking tray.
Bake for 2 hours at 100°C
