On Sunday, March 31, 1996 at 3:00:00 AM UTC-5, Josée Désautels wrote:
> (Shankar Bhattacharyya) wrote:
> >In article >, Jason Paul Chin <jchin> wrote:
> >>Does anyone know what causes merengue to shrink away from the crust when
> >>refridgerated? I have had this happen to me twice but don't know why.
> >Meringue has the air in the bubbles rather effectively trapped. In
> >regular cakes and breads the walls of the "bubbles" are relatively
> >porous, certainly once the product is cooked. In meringues, on tthe
> >other hand, you have a wall that is essentially a continuous film of
> >coagulated egg albumen.
> >So, when a meringue cools, and the air contracts, the bubbles are
> >shrunk by the pressure of the air outside.
> >I suspect that many of the bubbles fracture under these conditions
> >and, of course, they are not completely impermeable to start with, so
> >I suspect the contraction will be quite limited.
> >- Shankar
> I have something that helps: add the sugar at the very last moment.
> Each grain will fill a bubble, and it won't fracture (or less, at
> least.) Of course, you have to do this with a recipe that ask for
> sugar!
> Be sure also, to put your meringue when the bottom have cooled down.
> Josee

I've never heard of Merengue or Méringue.