Italian meringue is the most stable type of meringue as the melted sugar cooks the egg whites, resulting in a soft, glossy finish that doesn’t need to be baked in the oven. It is most often used for piping on top of pastries and desserts such as baked Alaska because it holds its shape so well.
Italian meringue always works best with double the amount of sugar to egg white so if you require a larger amount just scale up the recipe accordingly.
When pouring the hot sugar into the egg whites, keep the stream of liquid as close to the side of the bowl as possible; this will stop it splashing and allows the syrup to cool slightly before it hits the egg whites.
For an extra dimension of flavour, add a dash of rosewater, orange essence or peppermint essence to the water for an aromatic finish.
Marcus Wareing flavours his meringues with tea in his Lemon, meringue and ice tea dessert, while Nathan Outlaw uses it in his challenging Sea buckthorn curd, meringue, yoghurt sorbet and wholemeal shortbread dessert. Tom Aiken’s Baked Alaska is the ultimate showstopper at a dinner party.
