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MERINGUE
- For the Dominican folk dance and the music it is performed to, see merengue.
Meringue is a type of dessert, originally from France, made from whipped egg whites and caster sugar. Some meringue recipes call for adding a binding agent such as cream of tartar. Meringues are often flavoured with a small amount of essence, e.g., almond or coconut, or most commonly, vanilla. They are very light and airy and extremely sweet. It is believed that Meringue was invented in the Swiss town of Meiringen by an Italian chef named Gasparini (legend varies in regard to the date of invention, between 1600 and 1720).
Meringues used like cookies are baked at a very low heat for a long time. One name for them is "Forgotten Cookies"; with a gas stove, you can turn off the heat and forget about them until morning. They are not supposed to be browned at all, but they need to be very crisp and dry. Cooked meringue cannot be refrigerated or it will become soggy. It will keep for at least a week in an airtight container.
Meringue can be used as the basis for various other desserts including angel food cake, Pavlova (food), baked Alaska, Queen of Puddings and lemon meringue pie. In these cases, the meringue may be cooked at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time, resulting in a soft meringue with slightly browned peaks on top.
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