Meringue -- like a magic trick

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.”

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food@latimes.com

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Hazelnut meringues with orange sherbet

Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus 2 hours drying time for the meringues

Servings: Makes 21 small ice cream sandwiches

Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane. You will have leftover orange sherbet; reserve for another use.

3 egg whites, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 cup finely chopped blanched hazelnuts

1 pint orange sherbet

Powdered sugar

1. Heat the oven to 225 degrees. In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat the egg whites until frothy on medium speed, about 1 minute. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat to soft peaks, a minute more. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form, an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and lemon juice. Fold in the hazelnuts.

2. Use a 2 1/4 -inch ring to trace circles onto parchment paper on a baking sheet. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the meringue onto the center of a circle, and spread evenly to the edges. Repeat with the remaining meringue.

3. As you finish spreading each tray of meringues place them in the oven to bake for 1 hour to set the meringues, then turn off the oven but leave the trays inside for an additional 2 hours to allow the meringues to dry out. Remove from the oven, and gently peel them off the parchment paper. Store, loosely covered and in a dry area, atroom temperature, until needed. The meringues will keep for 2 days.

4. Just before serving, spoon a tablespoon of sherbet onto a hazelnut meringue and top with another meringue, gently pressing the meringues into the sherbet to form a sandwich. Dust the tops lightly with powdered sugar. Serve two meringue sandwiches per person.

Each ice cream sandwich: 69 calories; 1 gram protein; 9 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 4 grams fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 12 mg. sodium.

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Lemon sponge cake with Italian meringue and blackberry puree

Total time: 50 minutes, plus cooling time

Servings: 6

Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane. This recipe calls for six (4-inch) individual tart pans.

1/2 pint blackberries plus 12 small blackberries for garnish, divided

6 1/2 tablespoons, plus 3/4 cup sugar, divided

1/3 cup flour

2 tablespoons cake flour

Pinch of salt

3 eggs (separated, at room temperature) plus 3 egg whites (room temperature), divided

2 tablespoons grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter six 4-inch individual tart pans with removable bottoms.

2. Carefully rinse the blackberries and pat them dry. (Set aside the 12 berries for garnish.) Puree the half pint of berries in a food processor or blender until smooth, then strain the puree through a fine mesh strainer and discard the seeds. Stir 1 tablespoon sugar into the puree and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cake flour and salt and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks with 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar until thick and lemon-colored. Stir in the lemon zest and vanilla and set aside while beating the egg whites.

4. Beat 3 of the egg whites along with the cream of tartar to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 3 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form. Quickly fold the beaten egg whites into the beaten egg yolks. Fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Then quickly fold in the melted butter. Divide the mixture evenly among the tart pans and gently smooth the tops.

5. Place the tart pans on a baking sheet. Bake about 15 minutes, until the cakes are lightly browned and set in the center. Cool on a wire rack, then remove from the tart pans.

6. In a small saucepan, combine one-fourth cup water and the remaining three-fourths cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until the syrup reaches 238 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat. Beat the remaining three egg whites to form soft peaks, 30 seconds to 1 minute. With the mixer running at medium speed add the syrup in a slow stream. Continue beating until the meringue is cool and stiff peaks form, about 3 to 5 minutes.

7. Place the cakes on a baking sheet. Divide the meringue evenly among the six cakes and spread over the top. The meringue also can be spooned into a pastry bag with a large round tip and piped over the cakes. Place the cakes under the broiler until the edges are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. To serve the cakes, garnish each with a couple of fresh blackberries, and drizzle a little blackberry puree around each cake. Serve immediately.

Each serving: 276 calories; 6 grams protein; 49 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 7 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 116 mg. cholesterol; 87 mg. sodium.

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Kaiserschmarren

Total time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling time

Servings: 6 to 8

Note: From “Desserts by the Yard” by Sherry Yard. (Kaiserschmarren is a large souffled pancake.) This recipe makes more poached raisins than are needed for the kaiserschmarren; the remaining raisins will keep refrigerated for 2 weeks.

1/2 cup golden or red flame raisins

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon plus 3/4 cup fresh orange juice (from about 3 large oranges), divided

1 1/2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons dark rum, divided

1 3/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

2 pounds 2 ounces strawberries, hulled and quartered, divided

1 star anise, lightly toasted

1 tablespoon Grand Marnier

Softened butter for greasing the pans

4 large egg yolks, at room temperature

1/4 cup fromage blanc

3/4 cup creme fraiche

1/4 cup flour

8 large egg whites, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

Each of 8 servings: 354 calories; 8 grams protein; 61 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams fiber; 8 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 116 mg. cholesterol; 80 mg. sodium.