Why Make Nut Dough? For one thing, it's an easy dough to vary. I generally use pecans to make mine, but it is equally good made with any nuts such as walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts. Match the nut to the filling, so to make an extra pecan-y pecan tart, use pecans in the nut dough. Making something with stone fruit? Try almonds since almond and peaches/cherries/apricots, etc are an excellent flavor match. The dough is tender and delicate, so it benefits from ... continue reading...
Swiss Meringue
A Swiss meringue starts with the same proportion of whites to sugar as French meringue, but the preparation is a bit different and results in a firmer meringue that is useful for crisping to make layers, or piping on Baked Alaskas. Swiss meringue also makes an excellent filling for my Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies. So good! Even though you are heating the whites, they never get hot enough to eliminate the minuscule threat of salmonella, so be wary if you're cooking for the elderly, ... continue reading...
Italian Meringue
What's Great About Italian Meringue Italian meringue is a bit trickier to make than French meringue or Swiss meringue, but Italian meringue is very stable. Since it is made with sugar syrup that has been taken to the soft ball stage, it won’t weep and deflate upon sitting like other meringues, which makes it Perfect for topping a pie. You can use it straight-up as a nice airy cake frosting, top a pie (brown before serving), or use it as the base for Italian buttercream. How to Make ... continue reading...
French Meringue
This meringue is based on uncooked egg whites. As slight as the hazard is, there is a hazard of salmonella when using uncooked eggs. Be aware of this if you’re cooking for the very old, the very young or for someone with a compromised immune system. French meringue is the simplest meringue preparation, since it requires no heating of the ingredients. French Meringue Notice that the recipe is given as a ratio. That's so you can scale it easily. Just remember 1:2 whites to sugar. So, for 3 ... continue reading...
Dacquoise
Dacquoise is a crisp nut meringue. They aren't hard to make, and they add a wonderfully crisp layer of texture to a special dessert. Bake at a low temperature to allow a dacquoise to dry more than actually bake. The resulting layer will be crisp all the way through, but when layered with moist ingredients such as ganache or buttercream, dacquoise takes on a wonderful chewy quality. Make with any kind of nut you can think of. Enjoy! Dacquoise Dacquoise is a crisp nut meringue. They aren't ... continue reading...