French meringue (basic dough)

To prepare French meringue, start with the eggs, which must necessarily be very fresh and at room temperature. Separate the yolks from the whites, pouring the latter into the bowl of a stand mixer 1 (the yolks are not needed for this recipe but don't waste them, you can prepare a tasty pastry cream). Before turning on the mixer, make sure there are no traces or residues of yolks, otherwise, the whites won't whip up. Then start the mixer at medium speed and add half of the sugar 2 together with a few drops of lemon juice 3.

You need to whip the egg whites until very stiff. To be sure of the outcome, you can do two tests. The first is visual: the mixture should look shiny and foamy. The second you can do with the whisks: detaching them, you should notice a tuft with a point 4. Add the rest of the powdered sugar 5 and incorporate it with a spatula, mixing very gently from the bottom up, so as not to deflate the whites 6.

Transfer the mixture into a piping bag with a serrated nozzle 7 and then form tufts, about 1 and 1/5 inches in diameter, well spaced on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 8. Bake in a preheated static oven at 170°F for about 2 hours: they need to dry out slowly in the oven. As soon as your meringue tufts are well dried, remove them from the oven and let them cool completely before peeling them off the baking sheet: enjoy the French meringue whenever you prefer 9!