Tag Archives: Dairy-free

Quick and Easy: Plum And Apple Smoothie

Lovely and sweet breakfast smoothie, high in fibre and full of energy!

Plum and apple breakfast smoothie.

Ingredients

2 smoothies

4 large plums

1 golden delicious apple

2 tablespoons rolled oats

1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup (optional)

2 tablespoons vegetable milk (almond, soy or rice milk)

2 ice cubes

Method.

1. Wash the fruit, then peel the apple and cut the fruit into large chunks.

2. Add 2 tablespoons of rolled oats, 1 tablespoon of honey (or agave syrup), two tablespoons of vegetable milk of your choice and two ice cubes. Blend everything until smooth.

3. Serve in two large glasses.

Breakfast smoothie con prugne e mele.

Ingredienti

2 smoothies

4 prugne rosse grosse

1 mela golden

2 cucchiai di fiocchi d’avena integrali

1 cucchiaio di miele o sciroppo d’agave (facoltativo)

2 cucchiai di latte vegetale (latte di mandorla, di soia, oppure di riso)

2 cubetti di ghiaccio

Preparazione.

1. Lavate bene la frutta e sbucciate la mela. Tagliate grossolanamente la frutta a pezzi e mettetela in un frullatore.

2. Aggiungete i fiocchi d’avena, il miele (o lo sciroppo d’agave), due cucchiai di latte vegetale e due cubetti di ghiaccio. Frullate fino ad ottenere un composto denso e cremoso.

3. Versate in due bicchieri grandi e servite.

Spelt Cake With Blackberries And Apples.

First of all I have to apologise for publishing fewer recipes than normal this month. Unfortunately, my photography project has taken up most of my time lately, as I am trying to build up my creative portfolio. I love writing recipes though, so I’ll try to publish a few more next month…. But I hope you enjoy the picture-a-day project as my as I do! In fact, I am having a lot of fun with it and I’ll continue publishing new photographs, if you like the idea.

Anyway, speaking of recipes, today I am publishing an old Foodfulife classic, slightly revisited! We are going to make my spelt apple cake (the one without butter and refined sugar) with some fresh blackberries and ground almonds. This recipe was requested by friend who wanted to add a different kind of fruit to the original recipe. At first, I gave it a go changing a few ingredients, but then I realised that the batter was just right as it was…So I left it pretty much the same, with the exception of two ingredients, but I also I had to adjust the quantity of the apples and milk to balance.
Of course, you can replace the blackberries with whichever fresh berries you like.

Tip. Toast the almonds in the over for a few minutes at 160° C /320° F, before using them. Toasted almonds will add flavour to the cake.

Spelt with blackberries and apple.

Ingredients

300 g golden apples (1 and half big apples, or 2 smaller apples)

100 g of blackberries (about 25 big ones)

100 g whole spelt flour

1 egg

80 ml almond milk

60 g of finely ground almonds

1 egg

3 tablespoons of organic sunflower oil

3 tablespoons of barley malt

3 tablespoons of honey

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1 pinch of cinnamon

the zest of an organic lemon

a pinch of salt

Method.

1. Wash the blackberries and let dry for a while.

2. In a bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder.

3. In a second bowl, mix the honey with the barley malt, then add the egg and mix well. Once you have a creamy mixture add the milk with the ground almonds and the lemon zest.

4. Mix the flour with the egg mixture. Add a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of salt.

5. Peel the apples, remove the core and cut into pieces. Add the apple chunks and the blackberries to the batter.

6. Line a cake tin with baking paper, then fill with the batter and bake at 180 ° C/356°F for 50 minutes (or maybe for a little longer, just keep an eye on the cake!). Here I used a 25 cm long x10 cm wide tin.

Torta di farro con more e mele.

Ingredienti

300 g di mele golden (una mela grande, più mezza mela)

100 g di more (circa 25 grandi)

100 g di farina di farro integrale

1 uovo

80 ml di latte di mandorla

60 g di mandorle macinate finemente

1 uovo

3 cucchiai di olio di girasole biologico e spremuto a freddo

3 cucchiai di malto d’orzo

3 cucchiai di miele

1/2 cucchiaino di lievito in polvere

1 pizzico di cannella

la scorza di un limone biologico

un pizzico di sale

Metodo.

1. Lavate bene le more e lasciatele asciugare.

2. Mescolate la farina e il lievito in una terrina.

3. A parte, unite il miele al malto d’orzo, poi aggiungere l’uovo e mescolare bene.
Una volta ottenuto un composto cremoso, aggiungete il latte di mandorla, le mandorle tritate e la scorza di un limone.

4. Unite la farina al il composto cremoso, poi aggiungete un pizzico di cannella e di sale.

5. Sbucciate le mele, levate il centro con i semi e tagliate la polpa a pezzi. Unite i pezzi di mela e le more al composto.

6. Foderate una teglia con carta da forno (uso una teglia rettangolare lunga 25 cm e larga 10 cm), quindi riempite la teglia con l’impasto e infornate a 180 ° C per 50 minuti (magari anche un po’ più a lungo, tenete comunque d’occhio la torta durante la cottura).

Quick And Easy: Strawberry And Banana Smoothie

This week’s healthy recipe is packed with fibre, vitamin C, B6, manganese, potassium and with the vegetable proteins of the oats and the soya milk….Today I am sharing a dairy-free smoothie recipe for a super healthy and delicious energy boosting drink filled with bananas and strawberries; perfect for breakfast or as a light lunch. No need to say that banana and strawberry are a match made in heaven… Enjoy! 😉

Strawberry and banana smoothie

Ingredients

Serves 2

250 g strawberries, washed and cleaned

100 ml soya milk

2 bananas, cut into chunks

4 tablespoons of rolled oats

the grated zest of an organic lemon

1 tablespoon of honey (optional)

a few leaves of fresh mint (optional)

3 ice cubes

Method.

1. Blend all the ingredients together until smooth.

2. Serve in two large glasses or glass jars with two straws.

Smoothie con fragole e banane.

Ingredienti

per 2 persone (due smoothie grandi)

250 g di fragole, lavate e pulite

100 ml di latte di soia

2 banane, tagliate a pezzi grandi

4 cucchiai di fiocchi d’avena

la scorza grattugiata di un limone, non trattato

1 cucchiaio di miele (facoltativo)

qualche foglia di menta fresca (facoltativo)

3 cubetti di ghiaccio

Preparazione.

1. Frullate tutti gli ingredienti fino ad ottenere una consistenza cremosa.

2. Servite in due bicchieri grandi (oppure in due vasetti di vetro) con delle cannucce.

Chickpea And Potato Soup With Lots Of Rosemary!

I have to admit that this recipe comes from my mother’s favourite dishes. She was enthusiastic about this dish and as soon as I tasted it I could see why… Not only is it a delicious and tasty soup, but it’s also a recipe that anyone can make and with ingredients that are cheap and everyone has in the kitchen pantry.

For this dish I used ditaloni, which is a short pasta often used in soups in Italy. If you don’t find this particular kind of pasta you can replace it with some broken spaghetti (make them two-three centimetres long). You can also add some freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add some flavour and protein, however this soup is so tasty that you don’t really need to add any additional ingredients to flavour it…It is delicious!!!

Chickpea and potato soup with rosemary.

Preparation and cooking time: about 30 minutes

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

3 sprigs of rosemary

2 cans of chickpeas

Vegetable stock made with organic vegetable stock cubes

2 large potatoes, washed, peeled and diced

220 g of ditaloni

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Method.

1. Sauté the chopped onion with 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, after a few minutes add the chopped garlic.

2. When the onion is soft and transparent, add the chickpeas with the diced potatoes and the rosemary sprigs. Cover with vegetable stock and simmer for about 20-25 minutes. Stir quite often during the cooking time.

3. Cook the pasta separately and then drain when is al dente.

4. When the soup is ready remove the rosemary, then add the pasta and serve.

Zuppa di ceci e patate al rosmarino.

Tempo di preparazione e cottura: 30 minuti circa

Ingredienti

Per 4 persone

1 cipolla

2 spicchi d’aglio

3 mazzetti di rosmarino

2 scatole di ceci

Brodo fatto con due dadi vegetali biologici

2 patate grosse, lavate, pelate tagliate a pezzetti

220 g di ditaloni

3 cucchiai olio extra vergine d’oliva

Preparazione.

1. Fate soffriggere la cipolla tritata con tre cucchiai d’olio extra vergine d’oliva, dopo qualche minuto aggiungete l’aglio tritato.

2. Quando la cipolla sarà diventata morbida e trasparente, aggiungete i ceci, le patate e 3 rametti rosmarino. Ricoprite con del brodo vegetale e fate cuocere per 20-25 minuti, mescolando abbastanza spesso.

3. A parte cuocete la pasta, poi scolatela quando è al dente.

4. Quando la minestra è pronta togliete i rametti di rosmarino, poi aggiungete la pasta e servite.

Pear And Passion Fruit Smoothie

A delicious and delicate smoothie, high in fibre, vitamins A, C and also contains a good quantity of iron, calcium, manganese and potassium. I added some chia seeds for extra fibre, omega 3 fatty acid and vegetable proteins.
If I was to describe it in a few words, I’d say that this smoothie tastes like spring! So take a sip of this wonderful drink, relax and enjoy the flavours!

Pear and passion fruit smoothie.

for 2 smoothies

Ingredients

2 Williams pears (Bartlett pears)

2 passion fruit (maracujà)

200 ml almond milk (or the vegetable milk of your choice)

2 tablespoons of chia seeds (optional)

4 ice cubes

Method

1. Wash peel and clean the pears then, using a teaspoon, scoop out all the pulp form the passion fruit.

2. Using a blender, blend the fruit with 200 ml of almond milk, two tablespoons of chia seeds and 4 ice cubes.

3. Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve.

Frullato di pere e frutto della passione.

per 2 frullati

Ingredienti

2 pere Williams

2 frutti della passione (maracujà)

200 ml di latte di mandorle (o il latte vegetale di vostra scelta)

2 cucchiai di semi di chia (facoltativo)

4 cubetti di ghiaccio

Preparazione.

1. Sbucciate e pulite le pere poi, utilizzando un cucchiaino, estraete tutta la polpa dai frutti della passione.

2. Frullate la frutta con 200 ml di latte di mandorla, due cucchiai di semi di chia e 4 cubetti di ghiaccio.

3. Guarnite con qualche foglia di menta fresca e servite.

American Heart Month

February is American Heart Month, a month-long campaign to raise awareness about the risk of heart diseases and unhealthy lifestyles; it is also a way to remind us that we have to take care of our hearts and ourselves on a regular basis. One way to do that is to improve our diets by adding more fresh vegetables, whole grains and limiting unhealthy fats, in order to lower the cholesterol levels in our blood.

We all know that these healthy foods contain a lot of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, which are extremely important for our system, more than this, they also contain fibre, another important element that helps maintain low cholesterol levels in our blood. As a consequence, we have to cut down on unhealthy fats like the ones contained in full-fat dairy products, heavily processed food and fatty meat… It doesn’t mean we have to completely avoid these foods, we just have to be a little bit more aware about what we eat.

Healthy eating doesn’t necessarily mean tasteless food…
I am a firm believer that healthy dishes can be tastier than unhealthy processed food. In fact, the less you cook, manipulate and process the ingredients during the preparation method of a recipe, the tastier the food will be, as you preserve the nutrients contained in it…As a consequence, your body will benefit with a boost of energy and good health!

Of course, today’s recipes are dedicated to this topic..

Fresh vegetable and shrimp salad.

Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

Serves 4

300 g of shrimps

1 large avocado

16 cherry tomatoes

150 g mixed salad (with fresh carrots and mixed salad leaves)

2 spring onions (optional)

the juice of a lime

a little extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method.

1. Fill a small pan with water, then cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and poach the shrimps for 5-7 minutes (until they turn pink), then drain and set a side.

2. Wash, clean and dry all the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into halves, the avocado into small chunks and mix with the salad. Slice the spring onion and add it to the vegetables.

3. Divide the salad into 4 equal portions, then add the shrimps and season with a little extra virgin olive oil, the juice of a lime, salt and pepper.

4. Serve the salad in bowls with a few whole spelt and oat crackers on the side.

See also the whole spelt and oat crackers recipe

Insalata con gamberetti e avocado.

Difficoltà: facile

Ingredienti

Per 4 persone

300 g di gamberetti

1 avocado grande

16 pomodorini ciliegia

150 g di insalata mista (con carote fresche)

2 cipollotti (facoltativo)

il succo di un lime

un po’ di olio extra vergine di oliva

sale e pepe q.b.

Preparazione.

1. Fate bollire dell’acqua in una pentola. Spegnere il fuoco e immergetevi i gamberetti per 5-7 minuti (fino a quando diventano rosa), quindi scolate e mettete da parte.

2. Mondate tutte le verdure. Tagliate i pomodorini a metà e l’avocado in piccoli pezzi, poi uniteli all’insalata. Tagliate il cipollotto a fettine molto sottili e mischiatelo alle verdure.

3. Dividete l’insalata in 4 parti uguali, quindi aggiungete i gamberetti e condite con un filo d’olio extra vergine d’oliva, il succo di un lime, sale e pepe.

4. Servite l’insalata con dei crackers di farro e avena.

Vedete anche la ricetta dei crackers di farro e avena

Quick And Easy: Pineapple And Oat Smoothie

January 30, 2015Dairy-free, Drinks, Juices & Smoothies, High-fibre Food, Low-fat Recipes, Raw / Mainly RawApple, Dairy-free, Drink, Drinks, Juice, No sugar added., Pineapple, SmoothieSerena @ foodfulife

Today I am sharing a recipe for pineapple lovers! This pineapple and oat smoothie has lots of health benefits and a wonderful refreshing flavour! Really something to try…

This amazing drink is packed with vitamin C and manganese, contained in large quantities in the pineapple; it also contains rolled oat, a good source of vitamin B1, iron, antioxidants, fibre and vegetable proteins…..A truly delicious smoothie, perfect for breakfast or as an energising drink!

You’ll love it!!

Pineapple and oat smoothie.

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Serves 2

Ingredients

300 g pineapple, cleaned and without the core (roughly half a big one)

1 apple (of your choice)

30 g whole oat flakes (rolled oats)

200 ml almond milk

1 cardamom pod (use only the seeds)

Method.

1. Peel and cut the fruits into chunks.

2. Place the fruit in a blender, then add 200 ml of almond milk, 30 g of oat flakes and a few crushed cardamom seeds. Add also three ice cubes and blend everything until smooth.

3. Garnish with some fresh mint leaves and serve.

Frullato di mela e ananas con fiocchi d’avena.

Tempo di preparazione: 5 minuti

Ingredienti

Per due persone

300 g di ananas, pulito e senza la parte centrale (circa metà di un ananas grande)

1 mela (la varietà che preferite)

30 g di fiocchi d’avena integrali

200 ml di latte di mandorla

1 piccolo baccello di cardamomo (usate solo i semini all’interno e scartate la buccia)

Preparazione.

1. Sbucciate e tagliate la frutta a pezzi.

2. Mettete la frutta nel frullatore, quindi aggiungete 200 ml di latte di mandorle, 30 g di fiocchi d’avena e qualche semino tritato di cardamomo. Aggiungere anche tre cubetti di ghiaccio e frullate tutto, fino ad ottenere una crema.

3. Guarnite con qualche foglia di menta fresca e servite.

How To Make Almond Milk ( Step By Step )

Rich in calcium, antioxidants and vitamin E, almond milk is a wonderful healthy drink, widely used in vegan recipes… And today we are going to make it from scratch!

This recipe is very easy to prepare, it doesn’t require any fancy equipment and is quite quick to make! As you’ll see in the recipe method, we are basically going to separate the almond pulp from the juice, in order to extract the milk.

Almond milk is another incredibly versatile ingredient, as it can be used in the preparation of smoothies and can replace dairy products in many recipes, both sweet and savoury; while the almond paste, obtained during the process, can be used in cake and biscuit recipes.

Almond milk (basic recipe).

Soaking: 30 minutes

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

for 1 bottle (1 l.)

100 g of raw shelled almonds (better unpeeled)

1 l. of water

a few ice cubes

a pinch of salt

You need

1 blender

1 bowl

1 funnel

1 glass bottle

1 strainer

a cloth (like a cotton napkin)

Note.

To make a slightly sweeter almond milk you can add 3 boneless dry dates and blend them with the almonds, then sift everything, as described in the recipe.

Method.

1. Place the almonds in a bowl and fill with 200 ml of hot water. Soak the almonds in the water for 30 minutes, then drain (keep the soaking water, you’ll need it later!) and remove the skin from the almonds.

2. In a blender, blend the almonds with a few ice cubes and then gradually add the soaking water (this will preserve part of the substances contained in the almond skin). Blend everything, until you have a creamy mixture.

3. Pour in 800 ml of water, add a pinch of salt and blend for a few more minutes.

4. Using a funnel and a strainer, sift the mixture and pour the milk into a bottle. Use a cloth (or a cotton napkin) to squeeze all the juice out of the almond paste.

5. Put the lid on the bottle and place the milk in the fridge. Use within three days.

Method variation.

In the method described above, we soak the almonds in hot water, in order to soften the pulp and remove the skin (this method is particularly useful if you want to use the pulp in another recipe). However, you can soak the almonds for 30 minutes in cold water, instead, and then blend them with the skin. Then you have to strain the almonds with a strainer through a cloth, pressing the mixture with a spatula. This process might take a little longer, but it’s better if you want to make sure you use raw almonds.

You can flavour your almond milk with honey, maple or agave syrup, vanilla extract, cocoa powder…You choose!

Latte di mandorla (ricetta base)

tempo di riposo: 30 minuti

tempo di preparazione: 20 minuti

Ingredienti

Per una bottiglia (da 1 litro)

100 g di mandorle sgusciate (meglio non pelate)

1 l. d’acqua

qualche cubetto di ghiaccio

un pizzico di sale

cosa serve

1 frullatore

1 ciotola

1 imbuto

1 bottiglia di vetro (da un litro)

1 colino a maglie fitte

un tovagliolo di cotone (oppure un canovaccio)

Nota.

Per rendere più dolce il latte di mandorla potete aggiungere 3-4 datteri (senza seme) e frullarli insieme alle mandorle, poi filtrate tutto, come descritto nella ricetta.

Preparazione.

1. Mettete le mandorle in una ciotola e ricoprite con 200 ml d’acqua bollente. Fate riposare per 30 minuti circa, poi scolate (mettete il liquido d’ammollo da parte) e spellate le mandorle.

2. Mettete le mandorle con qualche cubetto di ghiaccio nel frullatore e incominciate a frullare, versando a filo l’acqua dell’ammollo (questo per dare sapore e conservare parte delle sostanze contenute nella buccia). Continuate a frullare fino ad ottenere una cremina senza grumi.

3. Versate nel composto cremoso 800 ml di acqua con un pizzico di sale e frullate ancora per qualche minuto.

4. Utilizzando un imbuto e un colino, filtrate il composto e versate il liquido in una bottiglia. Dopo aver filtrato tutto il liquido, strizzate bene la polpa di mandorle con un tovagliolo.

5. Mettete la bottiglia con il latte di mandorla in frigorifero e consumate la bevanda entro tre giorni.

Una variante della preparazione.

Nel metodo descritto qui sopra, utilizziamo l’acqua calda per rimuovere con facilità la pellicina e ammorbidire le mandorle (questo metodo è particolarmente indicato se si vuole riutilizzare la polpa ottenuta dalle mandorle in altre ricette). Come variante, potete immergere le mandorle in acqua fredda per 30 minuti e poi frullarle con la loro pellicina. In questo caso, dovrete filtrare bene il composto attraverso un panno e un colino, premendo con una spatola per accelerare il processo. Questo metodo richiederà un po’ più di tempo, ma è meglio, se volete essere sicuri di utilizzare mandorle crude.

Skinny “Fries”, My Way!

Low-fat and healthier than the real thing, oven-baked skinny “fries” can be even tastier than deep fried potatoes, if you add fresh herbs and garlic.
These skinny “fries” are super tasty and very crunchy!…None will know they are baked and not fried!!

Rosemary and garlic skinny “fries”.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30-35 minutes

4 Servings

Ingredients

a bunch of fresh rosemary

8 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in halves

4 medium-large potatoes

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

what you need

2 large rectangular baking trays

a big bowl

some baking paper

a knife

a kitchen cutting board

Method.

1. Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into sticks.

2. Put the potatoes in a large bowl and mix with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Take 2 large baking trays, line them with baking paper and place the potatoes on the trays (not too many, otherwise they’ll stick together).

4. Top the potatoes with the rosemary and the garlic cloves, then bake for 30-35 minutes at 190°C (374° F).

5. Take the potatoes out of the oven, remove the garlic and rosemary and serve.

Patatine al forno con aglio e rosmarino.

Tempo di preparazione: 10 minuti

Tempo di cottura: 30-35 minuti

Per 4 persone

Ingredienti

un po’ di rosmarino fresco

8 spicchi d’aglio, puliti e tagliati a metà

4 patate medio-grandi

4 cucchiai di olio extra vergine d’oliva

sale e pepe q. b.

occorrono:

2 teglie grandi rettangolari

una ciotola grande

2 fogli di carta da forno

un coltello

un tagliere

Preparazione.

1. Lavate, sbucciate e tagliate le patate a bastoncini sottili.

2. Mettete le patate in una ciotola e mescolate con 4 cucchiai di olio extra vergine d’oliva, sale e pepe.

3. Prendete una teglia grande, ricoprite con carta da forno e posizionateci sopra le patate, lasciando un po’ di spazio tra un pezzo e l’altro (altrimenti si attaccano).

4. Aggiungete il rosmarino e gli spicchi d’aglio sopra le patate, poi infornate a 190 ° C per 30-35 minuti.

5. Levate le patate dal forno, poi togliete l’aglio e il rosmarino. Servite subito.

How To Make (Almost) Perfect Meringues

The basics.
A meringue is basically made with two ingredients: sugar and egg whites.
In Italian cuisine we often use three types of meringue: the classic, the French or Italian meringue.
While the classic and French meringues are both baked, the Italian meringue is usually pasteurised (“cooked” at a very low temperature) by adding hot sugar syrup during the preparation process and it is generally used in creamy desserts or cake decorations/ fillings.

Classic or French meringue?
The main difference between French and classic meringues is in the preparation methods. In fact, both these meringues are made with the same ingredients and cooking methods, but they differ in the way in which the sugar is added to the recipe and (slightly) in their final consistency. In the classic meringue the sugar is added at the end of the process, incorporating the sugar with a spatula when the egg whites are firmly whipped; while in the French meringue the sugar is added gradually during the whipping process.

In this article we will see the preparation process for the French meringue, which is quite light and crispy.

…And yes, it’s hard to get it right, but not impossible!

Basic French meringue recipe.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 3 hours

Ingredients

For 25 meringues (two oven trays)

100 g egg whites

200 g granulated sugar (use icing sugar for a finer grain)

Method.

1. Using an electric beater, beat the egg whites with 1/3 of sugar (about 66 g) starting with a medium-low power.

2. Once the egg whites have doubled in volume, add another 1/3 of sugar and beat at a medium-high power.

3. When the egg whites are almost stiff, add the rest of the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture is thick and glossy.

4. Line the base of an oven tray with baking paper, then, using a piping bag, make the meringues (5 cm wide x 3 cm thick).

5. Bake at 85-100° C ( 185- 212°F) for 3 hours (the cooking time depends also on the oven you use). Let cool completely on wire rack and then place in a airtight container.

A few things to keep in mind…

About the ingredients.

1. As a basic rule, the weight of the sugar must be double compared to that of the egg whites.

2. You can add something a little acidic, like lemon juice, to help the whipping process. The doses: use 1/2 a teaspoon of lemon juice for 100 g of egg whites.

3. It is possible to add a little cornstarch in order to better maintain the shape of the meringues during the cooking process.

4. Don’t add any salt because it won’t help the whipping process. Some recipes might suggest the opposite, but it is not correct.

About the preparation method.

1. Separate the egg whites from the yolks well, even small traces of egg yolk will compromise the end result.

2. The equipment used during the whipping process should have been properly cleaned, dried and possibly quite cold. All these elements will help you to achieve the perfect meringue!

About the cooking method.

1. Cook the meringues at a very low temperature to avoid any changes in colour or cracks on the surface (basically the meringues have to dry out slowly in the oven). Best cooking temperature: 85 -100 ° C ( 185- 212°F).

2. If you want to dry the meringues completely, to preserve them for longer, you can leave them in the oven (turned off) for a few hours, after the cooking process.

Ricetta base per la meringa francese.

Tempo di preparazione: 10 minuti

Tempo di cottura: 3 ore

Ingredienti

Per 25 meringhe (per 2 teglie rettangolari)

100 g di albumi

200 g di zucchero semolato (potete usare zucchero a velo per una meringa con grana più fine)

Preparazione.

1. Con uno sbattitore elettrico (utilizzando una potenza medio-bassa), incominciate a montare gli albumi con 1/3 di zucchero (circa 66 g).

2. Quando gli albumi saranno raddoppiati di volume, aggiungete ancora 1/3 di zucchero e aumentate la potenza.

3. Ad albumi quasi montati a neve, aggiungere il resto dello zucchero e continuare a montare fino ad ottenere un composto denso e lucido.

4. Ricoprite la base di una teglia con carta da forno, poi, utilizzando un sac à poche, date la forma alle meringhe (5 cm di larghezza x 3 cm di altezza).

5. Infornare a 85-100 ° C per 3 ore (il tempo di cottura però dipende dal forno utilizzato). Fate raffreddare bene, poi conservate le meringhe in un contenitore a chiusura ermetica.

Note.

Per gli ingredienti.

1. Come regola generale, il peso dello zucchero deve essere il doppio di quello degli albumi.

2. Si può utilizzare del succo di limone per far montare meglio gli albumi. Dosi consigliate: 1/2 cucchiaino di succo di limone per 100 g di albumi.

3. Aggiungendo un po ‘ di amido di mais le meringhe manterranno meglio la forma durante la cottura.

4. Il sale non aiuta a montare meglio gli albumi, se potete non utilizzatelo.

Per la preparazione.

1. Separate bene gli albumi dai i tuorli, perché piccole tracce di tuorlo possono compromettere il risultato finale.

2. L’ attrezzatura deve essere pulita, asciugata e possibilmente fredda.

Per la cottura.

1. Le meringhe devono cuocere a temperatura molto bassa per evitare un cambiamento di colore o la formazione di piccole crepe sulla superficie. La temperatura di cottura più indicata è tra 85-100 ° C.

2. Le meringhe si conservano a lungo quando sono molto asciutte. A cottura terminata, potete lasciare le meringhe nel forno per qualche ora per farle asciugare completamente.