There are two ways to make French meringue:

Method 1: You can start by whisking the egg whites until almost stiff at a low speed, before adding the sugar a little at a time and whisking the mixture until completely stiff at high speed. With this type of French meringue, the sugar does not dissolve completely, and the meringue becomes slightly crunchy.

Method 2: You can also add the sugar to the egg whites before you start whisking at medium speed; this allows the sugar to dissolve more thoroughly in the egg whites, and there will be no crunch in the meringue.

For both methods, it is important to whisk the meringue thoroughly for a long time, preferably 10-15 minutes.

How to color your meringue

If you would like to play with the color or flavor of the French meringue, you can do that too. However, you should not add liquid products, such as food coloring, as this will prevent the meringue from setting. It is recommended to use items such as paste coloring or flavoring powder instead.

Baking

To prevent the meringue from becoming dark on the outside and soft on the inside, it is important to bake it at a low temperature, around 100 degrees (Celsius), for a long time – approx. 3 hours, though this depends on the oven and the size of your cakes. Remember not to open the oven during baking, as the meringue may collapse due to temperature fluctuations.

Tip for success

Optionally, add 1 tsp of cornstarch and vinegar to your meringue to stabilize it, so that it lasts longer.

French meringue is well-suited for:

French meringue does not work equally well for all types of pastries and desserts. However, French meringue is an obvious choice if you want to make meringue cookies or a Pavlova base, as French meringue works very well for baking.

French meringue is less well-suited for:

French meringue is not a stable meringue, which is why it is not very good for things like making cream puffs (flødeboller).