Kaiserschmarren
Soft and billowy or sweet and crisp, meringue is a chameleon in the kitchen: Use it as a dessert topping, a magic mix-in that gives rise to dense cakes, even as cookie-like crumbles that lend crunch to all sorts of pastry-chef creations.
It’s made of modest ingredients -- stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar at its most basic -- and with seemingly endless variations it changes shape, volume and texture, bending to the will of its maker. Soft meringue can be molded and baked into wafers and hollow shells. Replace the sugar with hot syrup and the result will be clouds of thick, glossy, almost marshmallow-like confection. (Add chunks of cold butter to that and you’ve got lush Italian buttercream).
Slightly toasted clouds of the stuff give lemon meringue pie its whimsical wow factor. For a crunchy bite, it can be piped and baked into French macaroons, perfect for sandwiching dollops of chocolate ganache or jam.
Pastry chef Sherry Yard folds soft meringue into kaiserschmarren, a popular Austrian dessert that’s been a fixture on the menu at her home base Spago since the restaurant’s inception. Chef Wolfgang Puck, she says, calls her “Miss Meringue.” “At Spago, we make all of our pasta from scratch with egg yolks, so I’m always looking for new ways to play with egg whites.”
Kaiserschmarren is traditionally torn pieces of caramelized pancake sauteed and served with fruit compote and powdered sugar. Yard elevates hers by adding fromage blanc, creme fraiche, raisins plumped in wine and sugar, and a generous amount of sweetened, whipped egg whites. Baked in a deep cake pan, the result is a fluffy, pudding-like dessert, more springy than a souffle and perfect for sopping up strawberry sauce.
“Meringue allows me to cut out flour in a lot of desserts and make them lighter,” Yard says. “It’s just about my favorite thing to work with.”
Chef Michel Richard, who recently opened Citrus at Social, uses crisp meringue to make vacherin, a French invention using hardened, molded meringue to house ice cream or whipped cream (or both). Richard shapes his meringue into the form of a big mushroom using separate molds for the cap and stem, fills the baked shells with chocolate ice cream and whipped cream, and sets the whole thing atop a pool of pistachio sauce.
“I love the texture of the meringue this way, crisp,” Richard says. “You add the creamy ice cream, the sauce, the whipped cream. It is wonderful to bite into all of the textures at once.”
Meringue does double-duty in a meringue-topped lemon sponge cake: Beaten egg whites lighten the lemon and butter cake batter, which is baked until tender and just set. A generous amount of Italian meringue goes on top.
Mastering Italian meringue takes a bit of practice. When the sugar melts, the syrup must reach 240 degrees -- any hotter and it will become thick and viscous. Timing is essential: The syrup must be streamed very slowly into the whites while they are being beaten or it will not be fully incorporated.
French meringue, the easily thrown together blend of egg whites and sugar that gives dessert souffles their lift, can easily be manipulated into a variety of light but impressive treats. Make wafers perfect for tea time by blending finely chopped hazelnuts, vanilla and lemon juice into the meringue; bake spoonfuls of it on a lined sheet pan at a low temperature until they are dry and crisp. Or place a scoop of orange sherbet between two of the wafers and you have a refreshing twist on an ice cream sandwich.
Shape fluffs of meringue into cups or bowls before baking and you’ve got individual, beautiful Pavlovas. And as Richard puts it: “You don’t even need a pastry bag.”
Poach the raisins: In a small heavy saucepan, combine the raisins, wine, 1 tablespoon orange juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the rum and 2 tablespoons sugar. Bring just to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower the heat so the liquid is at a bare simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat, cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer the raisins to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. This makes a generous one-half cup raisins; you will need 2 tablespoons for this recipe.
Make the strawberry sauce: Set aside 2 cups of the strawberries and 2 tablespoons sugar. In a heavy saucepan, combine the remaining strawberries with one-fourth cup water, three-fourths cup sugar, the remaining three-fourths cup orange juice, star anise and Grand Marnier. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to infuse for 10 minutes, then remove the plastic and discard the star anise. Cover with plastic again and allow to sit for 2 hours. Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and set aside or refrigerate if not using right away.
For the “pancakes,” place a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously butter two 9- or 10-inch glass pie plates or round cake pans. Add a heaping tablespoon of sugar to each pan and tap and turn the pans to dust evenly. Tap out any excess sugar.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with 2 tablespoons of the sugar until the mixture is light and lemony-yellow. Beat in the fromage blanc and scrape down the bowl and beaters. Beat in the creme fraiche and rum. Beat in the flour and 2 tablespoons of the raisins. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites on medium-low speed until they foam, then add the cream of tartar. Turn up the speed to medium and continue to beat while streaming in 7 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Beat the whites to medium-stiff peaks.
Fold half of the egg whites into the creme fraiche base. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is just starting to puff and color. Turn the pans 180 degrees and bake for another 3 to 5 minutes, until puffed and golden-brown. The center should be pudding-like.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, bring the strawberry sauce to a boil over high heat. Add the final 2 tablespoons sugar and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the reserved 2 cups strawberries and heat through, then remove from the heat and divide among the serving plates.
When the pancakes are done, remove them from the oven and, using a serving spoon, divide each into 6 or 8 portions. Place two portions on each plate and dust with powdered sugar. You can also arrange all the portions on a platter, with the sauce, and serve family style. Serve immediately.
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