or under the broiler — atop a pie, for example
— the surface gets crisp while the interior
remains moist. Poached in milk for the dish
called Floating Islands, they are firm yet
moist throughout.
Sugar in Meringues The addition of sugar is
what makes a fragile egg-white foam into a
stable, glossy meringue. The more sugar
added, the more body the meringue will have,
and the crisper it will be when baked. The
proportion (by either volume or weight) of
sugar to egg white ranges from about 1 to 1 to
about 2 to 1, the equivalent of a 50% and a
67% sugar solution, respectively. The higher
is typical of jams and jellies — and also the
room-temperature limit of sugar’s solubility
in water. Ordinary granulated sugar won’t
dissolve completely in a “hard” meringue, and
will leave a gritty texture and weeping syrup
drops. Superfine and powdered
“confectioner’s” sugar, or a premade syrup,