Alone or on a cake, meringue is a delight for gourmets.
But this preparation based on sugar and egg whites has several names, which actually cover differences.
How to distinguish an Italian meringue from a French one?
And what is Swiss meringue?
Answer in "La Table des bons vivant".
Frothy when on top of a lemon pie, it becomes crispier in pavlova or compact when used as a decoration on pastry cakes.
Meringue is a preparation made from sugar and beaten egg whites.
But how can you tell the difference between an Italian, a French and a Swiss meringue?
Laurent Mariotte and Olivier Poels take stock of the show "La Table des bons vivants", Saturday, on Europe 1.
>> Find all of Laurent Mariotte's shows in podcast and replay here
French meringue in the pavlova
Italian meringue is the crowning glory of the famous lemon meringue pie.
It is a foamy meringue that can also cover Norwegian omelettes because it perfectly supports torch coloring.
"It is made from egg whites cooked in a syrup heated between 110 and 120 °", specifies Laurent Mariotte.
The French meringue is the most famous: it is the one that can be eaten on its own, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
It is also found in the preparation of desserts such as vacherin or pavlova.
His recipe is very simple: sugar and egg whites.
And to make a pavlova like a great chef, head to this article with Guillaume Godin's recipe.
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Finally, Swiss meringue is "the one that takes its time", jokes Olivier Poels.
This compact meringue is found in bakeries in the form of large cracked meringues which are not formed by a pastry bag.
It is prepared by mixing egg whites with double their weight in sugar.
The mixture should be heated in a water bath until it reaches a temperature of 55-60 °.
The preparation is then left to cool completely before whipping it by hand.
The meringue is then shaped and dried in the oven at 100 °.
It is often found to serve as a decoration for pastry cakes or express Mont-Blanc.