meringue
- 7 dictionary resultsme⋅ringue
[muh-rang]
| 1. | a delicate, frothy mixture made with beaten egg whites and sugar or hot syrup, and browned, used as a topping for pies, pastry, etc. |
| 2. | a pastry or pastry shell made by baking such a mixture, sometimes filled with fruit, whipped cream, etc. |
1700–10; < F méringue; perh. to be identified with dial. (Walloon) maringue shepherd's loaf, marinde food for an outdoor repast (< L merenda light afternoon meal, prob. fem. ger. of merere to merit, such a meal being part of a laborer's wages), though certain evidence is lacking; assoc. with the town of Meiringen (Bern canton, Switzerland) is solely by folk etym.

Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Meringue
Me`ringue"\ (F. ?; E. ?), n. [F.] A delicate pastry made of powdered sugar and the whites of eggs whipped up, -- with jam or cream added.Cite This Source
meringue
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meringue
mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar that is used in confections and desserts. The invention of meringue in 1720 is attributed to a Swiss pastry cook named Gasparini. Meringues are eaten as small "kisses" or as cases and toppings for fruits, ice cream, puddings, and the like. Shapes are piped onto a baking sheet through a pastry bag and dried out thoroughly in a slow oven. They are not ordinarily browned but remain an ivory colour. Vacherins and schaumtorten are plain meringue shells; dacquoise is a meringue with ground nuts and cornstarch added. Italian meringue, in which the sugar takes the form of a hot syrup, is used to cover puddings and ice creams. In the United States, a soft, moist meringue is used to top pies, especially lemon cream. Another famous American meringue dessert is the baked Alaska. A hard-frozen block of ice cream is placed on a layer of spongecake, and the whole is covered with uncooked meringue. The meringue is quickly browned in a hot oven and the dish served immediately, so that the meringue is warm but the ice cream is still frozen
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