FoodTV Blog: June Challenge

I was not going to take a part in this month's Food for Thought challenge, but then I had four lonely egg whites lying in the fridge, so why not, I thought. I carefully read through the recipe and right away I was alarmed. I've made my share of meringues. I know how to make them big, small, flat, round, soft, crispy, with or without nuts. This recipe went against everything I know about making the meringues.

Why would I add the sugar after the egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks? The sugar is usually added while the egg whites are being whipped, this insures that all this sugar has time to dissolve. Why would I add cream of tartar after the egg whites are already whipped? Cream of tartar helps the egg whites to whip better, but if they are
already whipped, what's the point? Why, oh why, would I add icing sugar with cornstarch? Icing sugar already contains cornstarch, why does this recipe call for more? I could honestly taste the cornstarch in the final product. And lastly, why does this recipe need so much sugar? The general rule is to put 1/2 cup of sugar per two egg whites, not 2/3. Too much, way too much.

As you can see, I had a lot of questions and problems with this recipe, but I still decided to give it a try. I followed all the instructions and as I suspected the meringues weren't good at all. Too much sugar, too much cornstarch. I wasn't impressed, but I am glad that I tried something new. It's always fun to try out new
recipes.