meringue

/meuh rang"/, n.

1. a delicate, frothy mixture made with beaten egg whites and sugar or hot syrup, and browned, used as a topping for pies, pastry, etc.

2. a pastry or pastry shell made by baking such a mixture, sometimes filled with fruit, whipped cream, etc.

[1700-10; < F méringue; perh. to be identified with dial. (Walloon) maringue shepherd's loaf, marinde food for an outdoor repast ( < L merenda light afternoon meal, prob. fem. ger. of merere to MERIT, such a meal being part of a laborer's wages), though certain evidence is lacking; assoc. with the town of Meiringen (Bern canton, Switzerland) is solely by folk etym.]

* * *

▪ food

      mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar that is used in confections and desserts. The invention of meringue in 1720 is attributed to a Swiss pastry cook named Gasparini. Meringues are eaten as small “kisses” or as cases and toppings for fruits, ice cream, puddings, and the like. Shapes are piped onto a baking sheet through a pastry bag and dried out thoroughly in a slow oven. They are not ordinarily browned but remain an ivory colour. Vacherins and schaumtorten are plain meringue shells; dacquoise is a meringue with ground nuts and cornstarch added. Italian meringue, in which the sugar takes the form of a hot syrup, is used to cover puddings and ice creams. In the United States, a soft, moist meringue is used to top pies, especially lemon cream. Another famous American meringue dessert is the baked Alaska. A hard-frozen block of ice cream is placed on a layer of spongecake, and the whole is covered with uncooked meringue. The meringue is quickly browned in a hot oven and the dish served immediately, so that the meringue is warm but the ice cream is still frozen.

* * *