21. Enjoy Your Chocolate Chip
Meringues with Custard Sauce
CC image courtesy of thepeachmartini on Flickr
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22. Sources
Egg video originally posted in an August 12, 2012 blog entry on
The Burlap Bag: www.theburlapbag.com and downloaded from
Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/48347364
Meringue science courtesy of Alton Brown’s Good Eats, episode
EA1413H: “Egg Files VII: Meringue” on FoodNetwork
Retro clip art courtesy of thepeachmartini on Flickr and made
available by Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic
license:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thepeachmartini/sets/72157624565
417158/
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Hinweis der Redaktion
Welcome. In this presentation, you will learn how to make chocolate chip meringues with custard sauce. This presentation was photographed and narrated by Alison Geisler.
There are three parts to this presentation. First, “Ingredients and Supplies”. I will list what is needed to complete this recipe. Next, “Meringue Making,” in which I will explain the simple steps to creating a heavenly meringue. And finally, “Custard Cooking.” A custard is meringue’s best friend.
There are just a few simple, inexpensive ingredients needed to make chocolate chip meringues and custard sauce. You will need * 2 eggs, * 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, * 1 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract, * a dash of salt, * 1 cup of chocolate chips, * 2/3 plus 1/8 cup of granulated sugar, * and 1 cup of milk. Use the type of eggs, chocolate, or milk that you prefer. Any kind is fine.
Here are the supplies needed to complete this recipe. * two cookie sheets, * parchment paper. Please note that waxed paper cannot be used as a substitute for parchment paper. * an electric mixer, * Various measuring cups and spoons, * three small bowls and one medium bowl, * a spatula and two spoons, * and a double boiler, consisting of two nesting pans. If you do not have a double boiler, a metal or glass bowl set atop any pan will make a fine substitute.
Before starting this recipe, please consider the following information about uncooked eggs. * You will be handling and, in the case of the meringues, eating uncooked eggs. You will not really bake the cookies, just dry them in the oven. The eggs will not be cooked hot enough to kill salmonella. * If you are worried about this risk, use pasteurized eggs.
Meringue is made with egg whites and custard is made with egg yolks, so before you begin this recipe, you will need to first separate the eggs. * You may not have done this before. You may have heard it is difficult, but don’t worry. It’s easier than you think, and if you make a mistake you can always make a scrambled egg with it and try again. * You will need three small bowls. * Follow this simple procedure. * First, crack an egg into the first bowl. * Next, gently lift out the yolk and let the white strain through your fingers. * Move the egg yolk to the second bowl and pour the egg white into the 3rd bowl. Repeat this procedure with the second egg. On the next slide, you will see an alternative method for separating eggs.
No narration. (This video shows how to use an empty plastic water bottle to remove and separate the yolk from the white of an egg.)
Now that you’ve separated the eggs, you’re ready to make the meringues.
Step 1: Beat the Egg Whites. * In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with the electric mixer on medium speed. Before long, a loose foam will form. * Protein is the key to producing a stable foam. Think about this: No matter how long you try, 100% water will never form a stable foam. The bubbles are not strong enough. Egg whites are 90% water and 10% protein. * The protein in egg whites is made of wadded up chains of amino acid. When you beat the egg white, you break the molecular bonds holding the protein wads together. * When air is worked into the egg whites, bubbles form and the loose amino acid chains work with the water to form the outside of each bubble. These protein reinforced bubbles are strong enough to hold their shape and so a foam can form. * To further stabilize the foam, you will add 1/2 tsp. of cream of tartar. The acid in cream of tartar will help keep the protein structure together and the starch will help keep the water from running out of the foam.
Step 2: Add Sugar. * Continue to beat the egg white. The bubbles will subdivide themselves into smaller and smaller bubbles, creating a fluffy foam. The foam is still pretty unstable at this point. To help, sugar will be added. * Gradually add 2/3 cup of sugar a little at a time. Besides adding a sweet flavor, the sugar will bond with the water in the bubbles so that it won’t completely evaporate during the drying process. The sugar will also help the foam stick together.
Step 3: Beat until Shiny. Keep beating the meringue until it becomes shiny and beautiful.
Step 4: Add Vanilla and Chips. * Add 1 tsp of vanilla and beat in with the electric mixer. At this point, you can set the mixer aside. * Add one cup of chocolate chips * and fold them in with the spatula. To fold, gently scoop around the edge of the bowl, turning the mixture in on itself until the chips are incorporated. * This is a good time in the process to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step 5: Place and Don’t Bake. * To prepare the two cookie sheets, line them with parchment paper. * Using two spoons, one to scoop and one to scrape, * evenly space small walnut-sized mounds on the sheets. The cookies will not expand during baking, so you can place them pretty close to each other if you need to. Don’t smooth out the mounds. “mountain peaks” will create pretty browning in the oven. * Place the two sheets side by side, or on separate racks in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Yes, off. * Leave the cookies in the oven for at least two hours. Do not open the oven door to check on them during this time.
While your meringues dry in the oven, cook the custard sauce.
Step 1: Prepare the Water and Milk * Partially fill the bottom pan of your double boiler with water, up to where I’m pointing. You don’t want the water to touch the bottom of the upper pan or bowl. * Cover and bring the water to a simmer. * Meanwhile, measure 1 cup of milk and microwave for about 2 and a half minutes, or until hot.
Step 2: Combine Ingredients. In the top pan of the double boiler, combine * the two egg yolks, *1/8 cup of sugar, *a dash of salt and * the hot milk.
Step 3: Cook to Thicken * Stir the custard with the spatula almost constantly, or at least every 20 seconds or so. * This mixture of milk, eggs and sugar can easily burn on the bottom of the pan, even when using a double boiler method. * So do not leave the kitchen at this time. * Every few minutes, test the thickness of the custard by drawing a line through it with your finger on the spatula. It will thicken, but still be soupy. This should take anywhere from 10-20 minutes.
Step 4: Add Vanilla * First, remove the custard from the heat. * Add 1/2 a tsp. of vanilla and stir in with the spatula. * Allow the custard to cool completely on the counter or in the refrigerator.
Wait for the meringues to be finished. Again, this should take at least 2 hours. By the end of 2 hours, the oven will be fairly cool, so it’s perfectly safe to leave the meringues for as long as you need to, even overnight.
At the end of 2 hours, your meringues will be ready to eat. * Remove the sheets from the oven. No need to use potholders. The outside of the cookies will be dry and crunchy, with maybe a little browning on the peaks, and the insides will be a little soft. * Not ready to eat them right away? Leave the cookies in the oven or any other dry container.
To serve, plate up a few meringue cookies and drizzle with the cool vanilla custard sauce. Enjoy!
