I'm a good baker. I love the science and the art - or what I like to call magic - behind what makes a baker a great baker. I am merely good. I'm still learning the tricks that my mother - a great baker, arguably phenomenal - knows, and every time we cook together she teaches me something new. And by something I mean about 40 things that I'm struggling to remember and note and jot down and put into the recipes that I'm building so that my own family will one day be able to utilize.
With that being said, meringue is an intriguing concoction all on its own. And that's my nice way of saying that it's a tricky little bastard. Not so much because it's difficult - done in the correct method it is SUPER easy to make.
It's that it's the method behind it that makes it so difficult. The recipe is simple:
For every N egg whites, add N tablespoons of granulated sugar. Add vanilla or almond extract to desired flavor.
That's it. Optionally you can add potassium bitartrate, which is a fancy way of saying cream of tartar, which will stabilize the egg whites when you introduce air into them, make them more tolerant of heat (i.e. the meringue won't melt like a watered down witch over time), and increase the ability of the molecules to trap air between them increasing the volume.
In other words, it's very simple. Most of the best dishes are in fact very simple, and this is no exception.
The issue is that it's so simple that it's easy to overwhip and go from light and fluffy to solid marshmallow - and then you have to insure that the granulated sugar is properly incorporated so that you can avoid the 'weepies' that some improperly mixed meringues will generate.
So, in other words, it's simple, and it's not. Which brings us in a very roundabout way to the lesson I learned over the weekend.
Methodology is the key to controlling the outcomes of certain events. Dump the egg whites, extract, cream of tartar (if you so choose) and the sugar in all at once, and you get a poorly formed meringue. Whip the eggwhites, extract, and cream of tartar to a froth and slowly add in your sugar one tablespoon at a time, however, and you get a very quick and simple meringue that holds air like no other, will hold chocolate shavings, is super durable, and is the perfect shield for that delicious chocolate pie which it hides.
By trying different methods, you may break some eggs, but you're going to find out what works.
It's the same way with life. With some people, I can either poke some buttons to prove a point, and that point is heard loud and clear, or I can be nice, say my point, and have it fall on deaf ears.
It all depends on the person though, so the different methodologies can make a world of difference.
