Ina Garten Salted Pistachio Meringues

Ina Garten salted pistachio meringues use an easy trick she learned from Yotam Ottolenghi in London. Heating the sugar first gives you crisp shells with fluffy marshmallow centers. Just 5 ingredients, and they look like a party dessert from a bakery.

The sugar has to hit the egg whites while it is still hot from the oven. Have the mixer running before you pull the sheet pan, because cold sugar gives you a hard, dry meringue instead.

Source: Modern Comfort Food (2020)

Ina Garten Salted Pistachio Meringues

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

40

minutes

Calories

230

kcal

Crisp, pale meringue shells with soft marshmallow centers, made by whipping oven-heated sugar into the egg whites and finishing with chopped roasted pistachios and fleur de sel.

Ingredients

• 3 cups superfine or caster sugar (1 pound 5 ounces) (see note)
  

• 9 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature
  

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  

• 1/3 cup shelled, roasted, salted pistachios, roughly chopped
  

• Fleur de sel

Directions

• Heat the oven: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange two racks evenly spaced in the oven.
• Bake the sugar: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the sugar so it's a perfectly even thickness on the paper right to the edge of the sugar, leaving a border on the paper so the sugar doesn't spill onto the pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges start to brown lightly. Watch carefully! Lower the oven to 250 degrees.
• Whip the egg whites: Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Just before the sugar is ready, whisk the egg whites on high speed for one minute, until frothy. With the mixer on low, slowly add the hot sugar to the egg whites. (Use a large spoon at first, then pick up the paper and pour the sugar in slowly.)
• Whisk until glossy: Add the vanilla and continue to whisk on high for 10 minutes, until the egg whites are room temperature. (The bowl may still be warm.) The meringue will be very thick and glossy.
• Scoop the dollops: Using two large serving spoons, scoop 6 very large, messy oval dollops of meringue onto each of two sheet pans lined with parchment paper, spacing them out because they will expand while they bake.
• Bake and finish: Sprinkle the pistachios on top and bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (make sure your oven isn't above 250 degrees!), until the outsides of the meringues are crisp but not browned and the centers are still soft. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and set aside to cool.

Tools for this recipe

• KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer, Nordic Ware half sheet pan, Reynolds unbleached parchment paper, Le Saunier de Camargue fleur de sel. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use regular granulated sugar instead of superfine?

You can, but grind it first. Run granulated sugar in a food processor fitted with the steel blade for about 5 minutes, then measure it after processing. Skip that and the sugar stays gritty, so it never dissolves properly into the whites.

How long do these meringues keep?

They are best the same day you bake them. The crisp shell pulls moisture out of the air within a few hours, which softens the outside and makes the marshmallow center sticky. Store them in a tightly sealed container at room temperature and eat them within a day. Do not refrigerate them.

Can I make them ahead for a party?

Same day only, and it is worth being honest about that. Bake them in the morning and they will still be great for an evening party. Push it further and you lose the contrast between the crisp shell and the soft middle, which is the whole point of this version.

Do I need a stand mixer?

A stand mixer with the whisk attachment makes this much easier. The whites whip for a full 10 minutes while hot sugar goes in slowly, and that is hard to manage with a handheld. If a handheld is all you have, ask someone to pour the sugar while you hold the beaters.

What is the most common mistake with these meringues?

Letting the oven run above 250 degrees. Even a slightly hot oven browns the shells and dries out the soft centers, so check the temperature with an oven thermometer if yours runs warm. Weather matters too: on a rainy or humid day meringues come out sticky no matter what.