French Meringue – Tāhungahunga Wīwī
Everyone needs to make my French Meringue Recipe e hoa mā (friends)! The merenge Wīwī (French meringue) is the simplest of meringues to make. Simply whip the goodness out of those kahu hēki (egg whites) and slowly add in huka one (caster sugar) as you whip it into glossy goodness. It is a wonderful meringue to make when you just want things to be simple.
I love this French Meringue Recipe to pipe on top of my Key Lime Pie. I use half of this recipe to make the topping and the second half I turn in to meringue shards. If you want to, forget the shards and use all of this meringue to top your Lime Pie. You can pipe it all on or you can add it on top and whisp it in all directions using a fork. This is a wonderfully versatile recipe that you can use to top my whole orange cake or my Chocolate Hazelnut Cake.
What is the difference between French, Swiss and Italian?
The French meringue starts by whipping the kahu hēki (egg whites) while slowly adding in the huka one (caster sugar) with no heat used. It is a great recipe to start with as you learn how to create meringue.
Let’s look at the Swiss meringue recipe. Heat the kahu hēki (egg whites) and huka one (caster sugar) in a bowl sitting over a pot of simmering water. This dissolves the huka (sugar) and partially cooks the kahu hēki (egg whites). Then remove the mixture from the heat and whip it until stiff peaks appear. Due to the heat, this also creates a reliable and sturdy merenge (meringue).
Now for the Italian Meringue. The process begins by whipping the kahu hēki (egg whites) in to medium – stiff peaks. A sugar syrup is then heated until it reaches 116 degrees celsius. Begin to whip the kahu hēki (egg whites) again as you slowly drizzle in the hot syrup. Continue to whip and eventually a super stiff and glossy merenge (meringue) froms. Although it is more technical, the Merenge Itariana (Italian Meringue) is the strongest out of the three.
Videography and photography by Sarah Henderson.
French Meringue – Tāhungahunga Wīwī
Ingredients
French Meringue – Tāhungahunga Wīwī
- 2 kahu hēki (egg whites)
- ½ C (110 g) huka one (caster sugar)
- ¼ tsp kirīmi tāta (cream of tartar)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) iho hūperei (vanilla)
- He kini tote – a pinch of salt
Instructions
French Meringue – Tāhungahunga Wīwī
- Whip the kahu hēki (egg whites) for one minute on medium speed until fluffy and then add the kirīmi tāta (cream of tartar). I prefer to make a meringue with a hand mixer, if you are using a stand mixer you may need to hold the bowl closer to the whisk.
- When it reaches soft peaks, add the huka one (caster sugar) a little at a time as you continue to whip on medium speed. Continue to whip for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add the iho hūperei (vanilla) and tote (salt) and whip for a minute longer or until it is thick, glossy and has reached stiff peaks stage.
- The meringue is now ready to decorate the top of my key lime pie or any pie or cake you may want to decorate. If you want to decorate the top of your pie and use the rest for making meringue shards, check out this recipe.
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