Why it works: Egg and sugar are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 21% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 122,807 recipes. Both carry 2-nonenal, which smells fatty, green. The science ↓
Meringues Seches
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no oven temperature. The 350°F (175°C) in the steps was added when the recipe was transcribed, as a starting point.
Prepare
Ensure eggs are fresh and do not break them until ready to use.
In a clean, deep bowl, beat the egg whites until very firm.
Gradually add 6 tablespoons of sugar, mixing until well combined.
Prepare thick boards and cut 2-inch wide strips of paper.
Shape and bake
Spoon the meringue mixture onto the paper, shaping them like halved eggs of equal size.
Sift additional sugar over the meringues and gently blow off excess.
Place the paper strips on a board and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C).
Remove from the oven as soon as they begin to color.
Carefully turn the paper strips onto a table and remove a little from the center with a small spoon.
Transfer the meringues upside down onto clean paper and return to the oven to bake the soft part.
Store and serve
Once done, store in a dry place until needed.
When serving, fill with whipped cream or a tart filling.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Egg + sugartop 21% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together122,807 recipes
Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Egg whites
- Whipped into a foam that sets into the crisp structure of the meringue.
- Powdered sugar
- Sweetens the meringue and helps stabilize the whipped foam while it bakes.
The step that matters
Beating the egg whites until very firm. Egg whites must be whipped to stiff peaks so they trap air. Underwhipped whites collapse in the oven, and grease or yolk in the bowl prevents the foam from forming.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
You might also like
White Cake431 recipes
Pound Cake373 recipes
Orange Bundt Cake349 recipes
Spice Cake344 recipesThe free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.