Homecoming to Mama’s and Papa’s House in The Winter Wonderland of Advent, Traditions, Roots, Family and Good Advice: The Perfect Meringue

“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
J.R.R. Tolkien

Memories from the local market with its original people and ingredients… Nagykanizsa, Hungary

 

“Language is the only homeland.”  Czesław Miłosz

 

Producer and cosumer…all stick to the traditional, the good, appreciating the homeland  for everything it gives

“What we call wisdom is the result of all the wisdom of past ages.” Henry Ward Beecher

Selection from my mother’s and sister’s ovens

 

 

“The inner woman is the source of healing. The inner woman is the source of silence. The inner woman is the source of love. The inner woman is the source of belongingness with life. Embracing the inner man and woman is to discover our inner roots and wings.” Swami Dhyan Giten

Just one hug, just one look and just one word from mother and father put the past, present and future into perspective

  

The secrets of the perfect meringue

One of our Christmas traditions is having a meringue hoop (what we call “foam-kiss”) on the festive pine tree. To achieve great result every time, my mother follows many-years-old advices, that have been passed down generations.

The key is: using aged eggs, more sugar than one would think, whisking above boiling water, drying meringues on very low heat for longer than one would think.

  

Meringue recipes work better with eggs that are at least 3 or 4 days old. Thin, older egg whites when warmed slightly whip more easily to a higher volume than thick, fresh, cold egg whites. Once whipped, the foam from thin whites is less stable because the liquid film drains more easily from the bubbles. If stability is as important as volume, lots of sugar is better to use. Most recipes call for the sugar only after the whites have been whipped to soft peaks and good strong foam will not form. For better stability, a good rule of thumb is to use fresher eggs for meringues, saving older ones for general baking. Meringues also need clean equipment.  Lastly, do not make egg white meringues on a rainy or really humid day.

“Consider a tree for a moment. As beautiful as trees are to look at, we don’t see what goes on underground – as they grow roots. Trees must develop deep roots in order to grow strong and produce their beauty. But we don’t see the roots. We just see and enjoy the beauty. In much the same way, what goes on inside of us is like the roots of a tree.” Joyce Meyer