Another staple of the Chilean pastries and cakes: Meringue Discs are part of some classic cakes like Meringue Lucuma cake, Meringue Raspberry cake, Meringue Chestnut cake.
Some tips for success: Never bake them on rainy days. Use old egg whites, separate the eggs one day and refrigerate for two days to let them dehydrate a bit. The egg whites must be at room temperature to beat. Keep an eye on the oven to prevent browning. If you live in a humid climate freeze them until ready to use. Never refrigerate them. Peel them off the paper just after they cool a little.
Meringue Discs
Ingredients:
for 4 meringue discs,
- 6 large egg whites at room temperature
- 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons granulated sugar
- a pinch of salt
Preparation:
- Before making the meringue, draw four circles of 20-22 cm (9″) in diameter on parchment paper, Silpat or aluminum foil.
- Preheat oven to 200F or 100 C.
- Put the egg whites in a large bowl with the salt and beat on medium speed until the whites form soft peaks and hold the lift (do not bend). Add sugar slowly while beating continuously at medium speed, then continue beating at high speed for about 8-10 minutes, until it looks silky and smooth and then rubs between your fingers do not feel any sugar grain.
- Put the frosting in a Ziploc bag or pastry bag with a round tip, if you use a bag cut one end of the bag leaving a gap of 1 cm. Draw, on previously cut paper circles, concentric circles from the outside in with the meringue. Smooth with a knife or leave so. You can also place the meringue by tablespoonfuls onto the circles and spread with a knife.
- Bake for 1 hour and a half, the discs should feel dry to the touch but do not brown. Allow cooling in the oven. Once cooled off, peel from the paper where they were baked and placed them on clean parchment paper and wrap with plastic wrap and kept for up to 2-3 days over the counter or use immediately and freeze the whole cake up to 2 hours before serving, my favorite alternative. The meringue is fragile, treat gently.
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