The Art of French Pastry

membrane around each air bubble. The more air you whip in, the more the membrane is stretched thin. Once ...

that strengthens the albumen so that it can hold more air. Cream of tartar will do the same thing. ...

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PHOTO 1 I start my meringue by whipping the room-temperature egg whites on medium speed with a pinch ...

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PHOTO 2 After adding sugar and whipping on high for 1 minute the meringue is starting to foam but is ...

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PHOTO 3 Loose peaks: After 1 more minute on high, the meringue is getting thicker; the albumen has wrapped ...

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PHOTO 4 Very soft peaks: More whipping on high indicates that more air is being contained inside t ...

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PHOTO 5 Soft peaks: More whipping stiffens the meringue. The beak has now formed but it has a “tail” at t ...

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PHOTO 6 Semi-stiff peaks: The meringue has now incorporated enough air for the beak to look like a beak. ...

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PHOTO 7 Stiff peaks: The whisk can be held right side up and the beak does not collapse. ...

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PHOTO 8 Very stiff peaks: The egg whites are struggling to be able to hold more air and signs of grainin ...

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PHOTO 9 Grainy or broken meringue: The albumen has given up and its structure has collapsed. The meringue is un ...