A HARTE APPETITE: CHEF VS. THE BLOB

Perhaps you remember the 1950s horror film, "The Blob," starring Steve McQueen. In that pre-digital era, filmmakers could not rely on the computerized wizardry of George Lucas for their special effects. Thus, pastry chef Bill Yosses and restaurant critic Bryan Miller speculate that the menacing substance which played the title role in the movie was actually a mound of colored meringue made with several dozen egg whites.

Alas, for many cooks, meringue is almost as threatening as the science fiction monster. Fearing that beating egg whites to perfect peaks is too complicated a task, they avoid it at all costs except, perhaps, when they make a lemon pie and feel they have no choice. Even then there's still the worry that tears will be shed as the meringue itself weeps. That's a shame, because meringue is one of the greatest culinary inventions of all time, and it can do a lot more than merely top a pie. Trendy chefs are even creating savory meringues flavored with peppers and serving them as a garnish to main courses.

The origin of meringue is swirled in mystery, but according to the World Encyclopedia of Food, legend has it that it was invented in 1720 by Gasparini, a Swiss pastry cook in the little town of Mehrinyghen. The Oxford Companion to Food, on the other hand, dismisses this account along with the notion that the name of the substance comes from the Merovingian kings of France.

Another theory is that meringue was invented by a chef in the court of Polish King Stanislas and passed on to the French by the king's daughter. It is true that Marie Antoinette was such a fan of hard meringues that she sometimes made them herself at Versailles.

We do know that as early as the 16th century cooks discovered that beating egg whites with a whisk made out of birch twigs would make them foam, and by the 17th century they started adding sugar to create something called "sugar puff." But the term "meringue" did not appear in print in English until 1706. Most likely the word, like many words with a similar ending, originated in Germany and was borrowed by France before being shipped to England.

Over the ensuing years, three distinct types of meringue have been developed, reflecting variations in the proportion of ingredients and in method of preparation. Perhaps the most basic is French meringue. It consists of egg whites whisked with sugar in a 2-to-1 ratio until it holds peaks. It can be baked until it's firm enough to use as a shell for fruit or ice cream or even poached to make soft puffs adrift on a sea of creme anglaise, a dessert called floating islands, but typically it's used to top pies.

Next, there's Italian meringue, which contains a higher proportion of sugar and is made by beating hot syrup into the whites resulting in a more dense texture. (Usually sugar syrup is used, but maple syrup gives the meringue a whole new dimension.) It can be used to lighten a souffl, to enrobe baked Alaska or to top a pie and is usually the basis of dacquoise, or baked meringue cake.

Finally, there's Swiss meringue, which is made by beating the egg whites and sugar over simmering water to create a very heavy, almost chewy meringue which is used to frost cakes. The classic seven-minute frosting is essentially a Swiss meringue.

Whichever type of meringue you make, there are some basic tips to follow for perfect results. First and foremost, the bowl in which you whip the egg whites must be immaculate. Even the slightest trace of grease or egg yolk will hinder the volume the whites can attain. For this reason, it's best not to use plastic, glass or aluminum bowls which can easily retain fat residues. It's a good idea to wipe the bowl with a drop or two of lemon juice before starting just for insurance. A copper bowl works best.

Though egg whites separate more easily when chilled, they'll form more air bubbles if you let them come to room temperature before beating. Fifteen minutes should be enough to do the trick without risking bacterial infection.

Add 1/8 teaspoon of cream of tartar to each egg white before whipping for a more stable meringue, but don't add salt because it has the opposite effect.

Add sugar only after the whites reach the soft-peak stage (adding earlier will lengthen beating time) and do it slowly so the sugar can fully dissolve. Superfine sugar is preferable because it dissolves faster. You can make your own by simply whirring up regular granulated sugar in a food processor.

Start beating the whites slowly and then increase the speed. Decreasing the speed is apt to adversely affect volume.

Finally, if you want the greatest volume, use egg whites that are at least a week old because they are thinner than fresh whites and will beat more quickly. On the other hand, fresh whites will produce a more stable meringue that won't be as likely to deflate if folded into other ingredients.

Using these tactics you'll find that mastering meringue is not all that difficult. And it's certainly worth doing because besides providing the crowning touch to a lemon pie, meringue is the basis for three of the most spectacular desserts ever created.

First, there's baked Alaska. Invented in the 19th century, perhaps to commemorate the U.S. purchase of what would become our 49th state, this showy dessert is elegant enough to cap off the most important of celebrations (even Spago has it on the menu), yet it is convenient and easy to make. It relies on meringue's well-known heat-insulating properties.

Second, there's Pavlova, the ethereal concoction that's as quintessential a dessert for Australians and New Zealanders as apple pie is for us. (Actually, both countries claim authorship of the dessert, but recent anthropological research has determined that New Zealand was the first to create the cake deemed as light as its namesake, the ballerina Anna Pavlova. New Zealand also holds the record for the largest Pavlova, a 45-meter one made for a museum party.) Similar to the French Vacherin and the German schaumtorte, Pavlova too is showy yet easy to make because it's based on meringue.

Third, there's the heavenly dacquoise, a torte made with nutted meringue layers spread with buttercream. And as if these weren't enough, meringue can be combined with nuts, cherries, chocolate, coconut or other ingredients and baked into cookies, appropriately called kisses. Or it can be baked and cut into chunks and used as a fondue dipper or folded into ice cream. It can be formed into decorative meringue mushrooms, baked as a pie shell or used to provide a crunchy topping to bar cookies. The possibilities are endless.

The following recipes offer proof that rather than an intimidating blob, meringue is a wonderful way to whip egg whites into shape.

Baked Alaska Peanut S'mores

Perhaps this delightful and imaginative treat is what Eskimo scouts eat around the campfire. The recipe is based on one in Gourmet magazine.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons butter

7 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 and 1/2 pints chocolate ice cream

1/2 cup peanuts

2 egg whites

Directions:

Melt butter and combine with crumbs and 2 tablespoons sugar. Reserve 1/4 of mixture and press remainder onto bottom of an 8x8-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes until golden. Cool completely. Soften ice cream, stir in peanuts and spread on top of crust. Sprinkle reserved crumb mixture evenly over top, pressing lightly. Freeze until firm. Combine whites with remaining sugar and heat over simmering water until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and beat to stiff, glossy peaks. Spread meringue over ice cream and broil 4 inches from heat for 30 seconds until golden. Freeze to harden. Cut into eight triangles.

Schaumtorte

Schaum is German for foam and refers to the meringue which constitutes the top and bottom layers of this torte. The recipe, based on one in the Joy of Cooking, is somewhat easier to execute than the similar Vacherin or Pavlova because you don't have to form the meringue shells free handed but instead use two springform pans as molds.

Ingredients:

6 egg whites

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 cup superfine sugar

1 cup powdered sugar

1 and 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 pint strawberries

Directions:

Combine whites with cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add superfine sugar until meringue holds stiff peaks. Sift powdered sugar over meringue and fold in with spatula. Grease and flour two 8-inch springform pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Divide meringue between pans and spread evenly. Bake for 2 hours at 225 degrees, turn off oven and let meringues cool in oven. Remove meringues from pans and remove parchment paper. Wash and dry one pan and place one meringue layer on bottom. Whip 1 cup cream and spread over meringue layer. Place second meringue layer over top. Beat remaining cream and spread over top layer. Decorate with strawberries.

Chocolate Snow Meringues

This recipe for meringue cookies, or kisses, based on one recently reprinted in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution makes a confection which is crisp on the outside but chewy on the inside.

Ingredients:

4 egg whites

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 and 1/2 cups superfine sugar

1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 and 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Beat whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until stiff peaks form. Add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in nuts, chocolate chips and vanilla. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan to cool.

Listen to A Harte Appetite every Saturday at 11:59 a.m. following "Whad'ya Know" on KRCU, 90.9 on your FM dial. Send suggestions for this column to A Harte Appetite, c/o The Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63702-0699 or by e-mail to tharte@semovm.semo.edu.