OK, Kiddos…

NOW we’re cookin’ with gas! Cardinal slices are a study in the effects of over-whipping. For that reason alone I recommend them. The ladyfinger batter is a very particular lady. She wants to be danced with, but not too much. If there’s too much agitation, the bubbles in the batter get too big, the rise gets too aggressive, and the sponge becomes so delicate that it can’t hold its own weight.

The same seems to be true with the meringue. I’ll confess it never occurred to me until today that meringue can be over-whipped. It appears that when it is, it can suffer from some of the same problems: over-puffing in the heat of the oven, then collapse when it cools. Fascinating…as Mr. Spock would say. Right…on to shaping and the most important part: eating. This is going to be good!

10 thoughts on “OK, Kiddos…”

  1. It looks fa! Now if we could just bottle a bit of that perseverance of yours 🙂

    1. Pah! Personal vanity is what it is. I wish I could claim it was something more noble! 😉

      – Joe

  2. I think in a previous post you said you switched to using Nick M’s recipes for the two components. Is that what this version used? Sounds delicious too! May have to try this one myself.

    1. Yes, I did…and I need to update the recipe post below to reflect that. I’ve been so busy trying to tame this beast I haven’t had time!

      But yes, do try it, it’s a satisfying thing to make.

      – Joe

  3. When over whipped I thought meringues separate and start leaking liquid at the bottom of the bowl. This is a stage past the stiff peaks. Or should we stop just short of stiff peaks?

    1. Quite true, Malini. What I meant to say was that I never thought much about degrees of whipping for meringue before. I always whipped to still peaks and that was that. Soft peaks make a better meringue in this case, and I think part of the reason has to do with bubble size.

      – Joe

  4. Can you please send me the recipe for Markus Farbinger Viennese pastry with espresso meringue.

    Thank you

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *