Perfect Swiss Meringue
Tags: Dessert
Yield: Makes 6 heaping cups
- 6 ounces egg whites (2/3 cup; 170g), from 5 to 6 large eggs
- 9 ounces plain or lightly toasted sugar (1 1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon; 255g) (see note)
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; use half as much if iodized
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- Scraped seeds from 1 split vanilla bean (optional)
- Fill a wide pot with at least 1 1/2 inches of water, with a thick ring of crumpled tinfoil placed inside to act as a "booster seat." Place over high heat until steaming-hot, then adjust temperature to maintain a gentle simmer. Combine egg whites, sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla seeds (if using) in the bowl of a stand mixer. Set over steaming water, stirring and scraping constantly with a flexible spatula, until egg whites hold steady at 175°F (79°C), between 8 and 10 minutes. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip at high speed until meringue is glossy and beginning to ball up inside the whisk, about 5 minutes. Use immediately.
- Large pot, digital thermometer, stand mixer
- You can toast the sugar for this meringue in just 30 minutes with my "quick" technique, or use sugar as a pie weight to toast it passively. In that case, after transferring the sugar to a new container, check to make sure it's grease-free by running a finger across the interior of the foil lining. If it feels greasy, it means the sugar was exposed to the dough and able to wick away some of the butter. While trace amounts of fat won't prevent Swiss meringue from foaming, they will adversely impact its overall volume and stability.
