A meringue is an airy mixture of stiffly beaten egg whites and caster sugar. Said to have been invented by a Swiss chef, the meringue was a favorite of the famously sweet-toothed Marie Antoinette, who introduced it to the French.
Some meringue, like that which is piped on top of a lemon meringue pie, is uncooked (or just browned), while other meringues are baked in a slow oven, at which point they crisp and can be eaten like cookies. Meringue can can be made plain or flavored with vanilla extract or ground almonds or hazelnuts.
Recipe: Meringue Cookies (Cookthink)
Recipe: Lemon Meringue Pie (Washington Post)
A pavlova is the national dessert of New Zealand and Australia. A light, elegant disk of meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit, it's a snap to assemble.
Cornstarch and vinegar are often added to the meringue mixture before baking to give it a crisp exterior and a pillowy interior. You can top your pavlova with whatever kind of fruit you like -- kiwi, passion fruit, raspberries, peaches, or pomegranate seeds for Christmas, when it is often served.
The pavlova was named for Anna Pavlova, a lightfooted Russian ballerina, during her visit to Australia in 1929, though the New Zealanders claim to have invented it first.
Recipe: Pomegranate Pavlova With Mixed Fruit (Cookthink)
Caster (or castor) sugar is superfine refined sugar. That makes it finer than granulated sugar but not as fine as confectiones sugar.
Caster sugar dissolves easily and so is used to give baked goods (especially meringues) a lighter texture.
If you don't have any or can't find caster sugar, you can pulse regular granulated sugar in a food processor to help break down the grains.
Recipe: Rhubarb Syllabub (Cook & Eat)
Recipe: Meringue Cookies (Cookthink)
Related Article: Meet the sugars
What is the difference between syrah and shiraz? As far as the grapes used, not a thing.
Syrah and shiraz wines are made with the same grape, but conventional wisdom holds that they’re two very different styles. Syrah has a reputation as a drier, more restrained wine while shiraz is thought to be jammier and fruitier.
People associate syrah with the “Old World” and shiraz with the “New World," although this neat division has been thrown out of whack by globalism. Now, some French wines from the heart of syrah country in the northern Rhone are being marketed as shiraz for export, while Chile produces syrah whose flavor profile better fits shiraz and vice versa.
Marmalade is a fruit preserve that is most often spread on toast. It is made with citrus fruit, sugar, water and added pectin when needed. British marmalade, much of which is made in Dundee, Scotland, is bittersweet, whereas the American-made version is just plain sweet.
The Seville orange is widely used to make British marmalade, as it is higher in pectin than a regular orange and helps the marmalade to set naturally once pectin is released by boiling the fruit and sugar.
Marmalade comes in variations according to how thick you like the cut of the peel. Marmalade can also be made with grapefruit, limes, lemons or clementines.
You can also spread marmalade on sandwiches or scones; mix it with whipped cream and spread it between layers of cake; or mix it into a marinade for chicken or pork.
