Mr Browns Italian Meringue Buttercream Recipes

Steps:

• For the pie crust: Pulse the flour, shortening, sugar, salt and vinegar in a food processor until the mixture looks like damp sand, about 10 pulses. Add the butter and pulse until you can still see large pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse until the dough begins to come together. Pinch the dough; if it doesn't hold together, add up to 3 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough holds together when pinched. Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and dump the dough onto the plastic. Using the edges of the plastic, press the dough into a disc. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and preferably overnight. (Freeze up to 2 months.)
• On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 13-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie dish, gently pressing the dough into the edges and letting the excess dough drape over the sides. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trim any excess dough with a paring knife and crimp the edges decoratively or press them down with the tines of a fork. Prick the dough on the bottom all over with a fork. Place a sheet of parchment paper inside the dough and fill with pie weights or uncooked rice or beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights and bake until the crust is deep golden brown on the edges and lightly golden in the center, 10 to 12 minutes more. Let the crust cool to room temperature.
• For the filling: Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the lemon juice and 1 1/2 cups water and whisk to combine. Whisk the egg yolks in a separate medium bowl. Place the sugar mixture over medium heat and cook, continuing to gently whisk, until the mixture begins to bubble and is extremely thick. Temper the eggs yolks by slowly adding half of the hot sugar mixture to the yolks while constantly whisking. Add the tempered yolks to the saucepan and return to the heat. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and lemon zest until completely melted and incorporated. Pour the filling directly into the pie crust and cover with plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface of the filling (see Cook's Note). Refrigerate while you make the meringue.
• For the meringue: Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment along with the sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Whisk together to combine. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture feels hot to the touch. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and add the vanilla. Whisk on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Remove the plastic wrap from the pie and gently mound the meringue on top of the filling. Use an offset spatula to make sure the meringue completely covers the filling and meets the crust all around the edges. (This will seal in the filling and help prevent weeping.) Use the offset spatula to create swirls and peaks in the meringue. Toast the meringue using a kitchen torch or broil in the oven until golden brown, keeping an eye on the meringue if broiling, 1 to 2 minutes. Refrigerate the pie until the filling is completely cool and set, about 4 hours.

Steps:

• Have a mixer bowl with no fat in it, and a whisk, clean them with vinegar and salt, if nessecary, then rinse and dry.
• Put the egg whites into the mixer bowl with a pinch of cream of tartar, and about 1/4 teaspoon salt, stir once or twice, fit into the mixer with the whisk attachment in place and ready. Set aside.
• Grease a 2-cup glass measure with soft shortening, or use an ample quantity of vegetable cooking spray, set aside, by the stove.
• Put the sugar and water into a 4-6 cup saucepan with a lid, stirring very briefly with a spoon to ensure that the sugar has been absorbed by the water on the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat to medium, and cook until the mixture starts to simmer. Cover with a lid. Cook 1-2 minutes (2 at the most), uncover, insert a candy thermometer, and cook, without interruption, until the sugar mixture reaches 238 degrees f.
• While the sugar mixture is cooking, and keeping a steady eye on it, beat the egg whites at high or medium high intensity until this is stiff. (The object is to have the sugar mixture ready, the same time that the whites are beaten, I know that other recipes do not typically specify this process, but some do, and it's the method I learned, and am used to).
• Transfer the sugar syrup, all at once, to the greased measure.
• Pour it into the mixer, with it running, little at the time, avoiding the beaters entirely, and the side of the bowl, but allowing it (the sugar) to run gently down one spot of the side of the bowl, is preferable to having it sling on the beaters. Do not add it to fast, if there is any left in the cup, after a minute, throw it away, do not scrape it into the sauce.
• Beat the mixture for 10 minutes moderately, or until the base is room temperature. Stir in the vanilla.
• Beat in the butter, 1-2 tablespoons at the time.
• Carefully transfer to a bowl, and chill to spreading consistency if nessecary. Add a few spoonfuls of rum before chilling, if required.

Steps:

• Pour egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook until syrup reads 240 degrees F (115 degrees C) on a candy thermometer or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when placed on a flat surface.
• Increase mixer speed to high and pour syrup in a slow and steady stream down the side of the bowl, beating until meringue is no longer steaming, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in butter one cube at a time until buttercream reaches a soft and spreadable consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract.

Steps:

• Put egg whites in the bowl of your stand mixer
• combine 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. reduce heat to medium and boil 7 minutes (if you have a thermometer it should be 140-145 degrees)
• after 5 minutes of boiling whip the egg whites to stiff but not dry peaks (use optional cream of tartar if you like) and add the other 1/4 cup sugar.
• with the mixer on high stream in the boiling sugar syrup slowly into the egg whites. try to get it near the edge of the bowl but not onto the bowl.
• keep beating on medium high until the meringue cools to room temp (you can now use this frosting for fluffy white frosting, great on lemon or white cake!).
• meanwhile, cut the butter into tbs and when the meringue is cooled to room temp with the mixer going add it 1 tbs at a time until they are all in.
• it might look liquidy or curdled but it will come together if you keep beating it. if its not, put it in the fridge for a few minutes then whip it again.
• it should turn into a silky smooth frosting and you can now add your vanilla or whatever flavoring you want.

Steps:

• Put egg whites, sugar, and salt into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until mixture registers 160 degrees, about 4 minutes.
• Beat on high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating after each addition (meringue will deflate slightly as butter is added). Beat until frosting is smooth and glossy, 3 to 5 minutes.