Meringue Italienne
Hot sugar syrup poured into whipping whites — stable, glossy, and pasteurised
Sweety version
- 50 g water
- 200 g caster sugar
- 100 g egg whites (room temp.)
- 10 g caster sugar (for the whites)
Italian meringue is the most technically demanding of the three meringues, and the most rewarding. Unlike French meringue (whipped whites + sugar) or Swiss meringue (whites cooked over a bain-marie), Italian meringue is made by pouring a 118 °C sugar syrup in a thin stream into whipping egg whites. The hot syrup cooks and pasteurises the whites as it is added, producing a stable, silky, glossy foam that does not weep or deflate. It can be used to top tarts, folded into mousses, or torched. Unlike the others, it is safe to eat without further cooking.
Method
Syrup
- Combine water and 200 g sugar in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat without stirring.
- If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, brush them down with a pastry brush dipped in cold water — left unattended, they can cause the syrup to crystallise and "mass".
- Clip a thermometer to the side of the pan. Cook until the syrup reaches 118 °C (soft-ball stage).
Whites
- Whites must be at room temperature — cold whites do not mount as well or as quickly.
- Begin whisking the whites in a stand mixer on medium speed (speed 3 of 10) when the syrup is about 10 °C below its target.
- Add the 10 g of sugar to the whites in two or three additions as they turn foamy. This stabilises the foam and prevents it from graining when the syrup arrives.
- Whites should be almost firm — just reaching stiff peaks — by the time the syrup hits 118 °C.
Combine & finish
- Remove the syrup from heat the moment it reaches 118 °C. Lower the mixer to medium speed.
- Pour the syrup in a thin, steady stream down the inside of the bowl — not onto the whisk, which would fling it against the sides and waste it. Go slowly.
- Once all the syrup is incorporated, increase speed to medium-high (about 75% of maximum). Whisk until the outside of the bowl is no longer hot to the touch — roughly 5–10 minutes. The meringue should be glossy, satiny, and form a bird's beak when the whisk is lifted.
- Use immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
Background
The syrup temperature is the critical variable. Below 115 °C, the meringue will be soft and unstable. Above 121 °C, the syrup begins to move towards hard-ball stage and the meringue becomes too firm and grainy. 118 °C is the sweet spot: the whites are cooked just enough to hold their structure, and the meringue remains silky.
The reason for starting the whites before the syrup is ready is synchronisation. You need the whites to reach near-stiff peaks exactly when the syrup hits 118 °C. Too early and the whites will over-whip and break before the syrup arrives. Too late and the syrup cools and begins to set before it is incorporated. Watching both thermometer and mixer at the same time is the mark of someone who has made this a few times.
Pouring down the side of the bowl (not onto the whisk) is not just technique lore — it genuinely matters. The whisk throws the syrup outward at speed, coating the bowl walls with crystallised threads that are a pain to scrape off and do nothing for the meringue. A slow, deliberate stream down the bowl wall ensures maximum absorption.
Italian meringue can be folded into mousses (macarons, entremets) in place of plain whipped egg whites. It adds stability and structure, and because it is pasteurised, it significantly extends the safe window of the finished product. When used in macarons, its stability is what allows the batter to macaronner (fold) without collapsing.
Mistakes I've Made
- Syrup crystallised in the pan. Had sugar crystals on the sides that fell in. Brush the sides with a wet pastry brush from the start, and do not stir the syrup once boiling. Starting over is faster than trying to save a crystallised batch.
- Whites not firm enough when syrup arrived. Started the whites too late. The syrup cooked the loose whites unevenly and the meringue ended up grainy and with visible sugar threads. The whites must be nearly at stiff peaks before the syrup is poured.
- Syrup poured too fast. The meringue had a slightly cooked, separated texture with a few yellow streaks — egg proteins shocked by sudden heat. Thin, slow stream is essential.
- Stopped whisking too soon. The bowl was still warm to the touch. The residual heat continued to cook the egg slightly during storage, making the texture gummy. Always cool fully before using or storing.
Sources
- Meringue Italienne —
- Video reference —