Definition

1. Noun:
   • A light, sweet dessert topping or confection made primarily from stiffly beaten egg whites and sugar, often baked until crisp or lightly browned.

Examples

• Noun:
  • The lemon pie was finished with a fluffy meringue.
  • She piped the meringue into small kisses before baking them.

Advanced Usage

• "To make a meringue": Refers to the process of whipping egg whites and sugar to create the dessert.

  • The key to making a good meringue is to add the sugar gradually.

• Used as a modifier: Describes items made with or resembling this confection.

  • The meringue layers of the cake were perfectly crisp.

Variants and Related Words

• Italian meringue (n): A type of meringue made by pouring hot sugar syrup into whipped egg whites.

  • Italian meringue is often used for buttercream frosting.

• Swiss meringue (n): A type of meringue where egg whites and sugar are warmed over a water bath while being whisked, then cooled.

  • Swiss meringue is very stable and glossy.

• Meringue powder (n): A powdered mix containing dried egg whites, used as a substitute for fresh egg whites.

  • She used meringue powder to make the royal icing.

Synonyms

• Egg white foam: A more technical term for the basic mixture before baking.
• Confection: A general term for a sweet food preparation.

Related Phrases

• "Stiff peaks": A term describing the proper consistency of whipped egg whites for meringue.

  • Whisk until the meringue forms stiff peaks.

• "Meringue pie": A pie with a meringue topping.

  • Key lime pie is often served with a meringue topping.

Related Idioms

• "As light as a meringue": Used to describe something very light and airy in texture.
  • The sponge cake was as light as a meringue.

Noun

1. sweet topping especially for pies made of beaten egg whites and sugar