Baking with Eggs
Baking eggs and their ingredients lead to a number of different egg dishes: shirred eggs, meringues, and souffles.
Shirred Eggs. Whole eggs that are baked and served in individual dishes are called shirred eggs. The egg is cracked, gently placed into a cup from which it can be rolled into a container coated with butter or margarine, and then baked in an oven at 350oF (177oC) until cooked to order.
Meringues. A meringue is an egg-white foam used in dessert dishes as a pie topping, a cake layer, or as frosting. It may also serve as a dessert on its own or be combined in other ways with dessert ingredients. Meringues are made by whipping egg white into foam and adding sugar, the amount of which determines whether the meringue is soft or hard.
Soft meringues are made with about 2 tablespoons of granulated (preferably superfine) sugar per egg white and are often used as pie toppings (e.g. lemon meringue pie). The sugar is gradually added to the egg whites - three will cover an average pie - and whipped to the soft peak stage. The meringue is then spread immediately over the still-warm filling. A warm filling is necessary so the egg-white proteins can coagulate and bind to it. To prevent the meringue from shrinking back and leaving an unsightly gap around the outside edges of the pie, it should be spread to slightly overlap the entire perimeter of the crust. The whole pie with the meringue is then baked in the oven at between 325oF(163oC) and 350oF(177oC) for about fifteen minutes. Too low a temperature dries the meringue; too high a temperature shrinks it.
Two other problems that can occur when preparing soft meringues are weeping and beading. Weeping, also known as syneresis, may be caused by underbeating the eggs, which leaves unbeaten whites on the bottom of the beating bowl; or by undercoagulation, created, for example, by placing meringue on a cold pie filling. A meringue can be protected from weeping by adding a teaspoon of cornstarch to the sugar before beating it into the egg whites. Undissolved sugar is the main cause of beading, but overcooking (overcoagulation) also contributes to this phenomenon. Beading can be avoided by using shorter cooking times and increasing the temperature up to 425oF (218oC).
Hard meringues are usually baked as cookies, but they can be formed into different shapes and used as decorations on puddings or other desserts. They are prepared with twice the amount of sugar used in soft meringues, about 4 tablespoons per egg white. Confectioner’s sugar is preferred over granulated sugar for use in hard meringues, because it is more evenly distributed through the beaten egg whites and lacks a gritty texture. Egg whites are beaten to the stiff stage, the sugar is beaten in, and the resultant meringue is shaped, placed on a parchment-covered baking sheet, and baked at the low temperature of 225oF (107oC) for about an hour or longer, depending on the size of the individual portions. When the meringue is delicately browned and the end product firm, the oven is turned off, the door left open, and the meringue left in the cooling oven for at least five minutes. Once the meringue is removed from the oven, the remainder of the cooling period should occur in a warm place free of drafts.
Souffles. A souffle is actually a modified omelet. The main ingredients of a souffle are a thick base generally made from a white sauce or pastry cream, an egg-white foam, and flavoring ingredients. Initially, the egg yolks and whites are separated. A thick white sauce or pastry cream is prepared and combined with the egg yolks. Stiffly beaten egg whites are folded into the thick egg yolk mixture. For a main dish souffle, flavoring ingredients such as diced or grated cheese, cooked meat, cooked seafood, and/or vegetables and seasonings are added to this mixture. Dessert souffles are include sweet ingredients like sugar, chocolate, or fruit, but the process is the same.
Whichever the type of souffle, the entire combination is gently poured into a lightly greased souffle dish or other deep baking dish, placed in a larger pan of hot water, and baked in a moderate oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until delicately browned and firm to the touch. Small, individual souffles will take less time. The oven door should not be opened during baking until time to check for doneness, because it creates a draft that can cause the souffle to fall. Doneness is determined by gently shaking the oven rack. If the center jiggles, even slightly, more baking time is required.
