Donna Hay's no-fail meringue mixture

To make sure your meringue is a success, here are Donna Hay's go-to meringue recipe and top tips to troubleshoot meringue mishaps.

Donna Hay's no-fail meringue mixture. Credit: Donna Hay: Basics to Brilliance

• makes

  1

• prep

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Use this basic recipe to for any recipe you use meringue as a base or make Donnay Hay's perfect pavlova. Get her recipe here.

Ingredients

• 225 ml eggwhite (about 6 eggs)+
• 1½ cups (330 g) caster (superfine) sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1½ tsp white vinegar

Makes: 1 quantity

Instructions

1. Place the eggwhite in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk on high speed until soft peaks form.
2. Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until each addition is dissolved before adding more++.
3. Once all the sugar has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and whisk for a further 10–15 minutes or until the mixture is thick and glossy+++.
4. Place the cornflour and vinegar in a small bowl and mix until smooth.
5. Add the cornflour mixture to the eggwhite mixture and whisk for 30 seconds or until well combined.

Notes

+ Making meringue is a science. Be sure to measure your ingredients carefully, including the eggwhites as egg sizes do vary. Fresh, room temperature eggs work best – when whisked they’ll become fluffy and voluminous, plus they’re more stable during baking.

++ Be patient when gradually adding the sugar to the eggwhite. Each tablespoon of sugar should be dissolved before the next is added.

+++ Take care not to overwhisk the meringue mixture – it’s ready when it’s thick, glossy, smooth and there are no more sugar granules. You can check this by rubbing a little mixture between your thumb and forefinger.

Tip

It’s best to avoid making meringue on humid days. Excess humidity can cause meringue to sink during or after baking.

  

This recipe is from Donna Hay: Basics to Brillance on SBS Food (Channel 33). Stream episodes via SBS On Demand. 

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Use this basic recipe to for any recipe you use meringue as a base or make Donnay Hay's perfect pavlova. Get her recipe here.