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Meringue torte

Erken's meringue torte from Stor kokebok (1914): three meringue layers of 12 egg whites and 750 g confectioners' sugar dried in a warm oven and layered with cream whipped with vanilla sugar; garnished with fruit jelly or pistachios. Can also be shaped into meringue shells filled with cream or ice cream.

Source: Henriette Schønberg Erken, Stor kokebok, 1914-utg. s. 516 (falt i det fri)

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About the dish

The meringue torte is one of the party cakes in Erken's dessert chapter: three dried meringue layers assembled with vanilla cream. The recipe also shows how the same batter can be shaped into meringue mounds (shells) filled with cream or ice cream.

How to make it

  1. 1

    Make the paper molds

    Cut three equally large round bases from thick, white paper following a torte mold, with a raised rim about two fingers wide. Dust them very lightly with flour.

  2. 2

    Whip the meringue

    Add the salt to the egg whites and whip gently at first (a wire whisk is best). Whip harder and harder as the whites stiffen, until they are completely stiff.

  3. 3

    Add the sugar

    Whip in 2 tablespoons of sifted confectioners' sugar. Once incorporated, add 2 more spoonfuls, and repeat once more. Then fold the rest of the sugar – about half – lightly but quickly into the mixture.

  4. 4

    Shape and dry the layers

    Spread the batter about an inch thick in the paper molds. Place them in a warm oven (about 100–120 °C (250 °F)) and dry them on both sides; turn them over onto a sheet lined with paper and dusted with sugar.

  5. 5

    Cream and assembly

    Whip the cream completely stiff and stir in the vanilla sugar. Spread the cream between each meringue layer.

  6. 6

    Garnish

    Garnish the top with fruit jelly or sprinkle finely chopped pistachios over it.

  7. 7

    Variation: meringue shells

    The batter can also be spooned as oval or round mounds onto a sheet lined with lightly floured white paper. Dust with sugar and dry in a barely warm oven for about 1 hour. Loosen them carefully from the paper, scrape out the moist batter in the center and place them in the oven with the opening up to dry. When they are dry and cold, fill them with cream or ice cream and press another meringue mound on top.

Changes from the original

Quantities have been converted to modern measures (grams, dl, tsp/tbsp). Unclear fractions in the OCR have been interpreted as the nearest reasonable amount. "Warm oven" is given as 100–120 °C (250 °F), and the method has been divided into numbered steps in modern Norwegian.

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Time machine – what changed?

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Modernised → 1914 (proofread, p. 516)~81% of the text changedremovedadded
12 stk eggehviter (helst ferske). 750 g melis (siktet). 0,25 ts salt. 7,5 dl kremfløte. ¾ kg. flormelis ¼ teske salt ¾ l. kremfløte 125 g vaniljesukker (kan reduseres etter smak). fruktgelé eller finhakkede pistasienøtter (til pynt). Klipp tre like store runde bunner av gr. vaniljesukker. Av tykt, hvitt papir etter klipper man 3 like store rundinger efter en terteform, terteform med en oppstående kant på ca. 2 fingers bredde. Strø finger bred opstaaende kant; bestrø dem ganske lett let med mel.. Tilsett saltet i eggehvitene og visp mel. Eggehviterne maa være friske, tilsættes saltet, slaaes først forsiktig (en ståltrådvisp sagte — en staaltraadvisp er best). Visp bedst — slaa sterkere og sterkere etter hvert som hvitene stivner, til sterkere, eftersom hviterne blir stive, indtil de er helt stive.. Visp inn ganske stive, ha i 2 spiseskjeer siktet melis. Når spiseskeer av det sigtede sukker; naar dette er innarbeidet, tilsett slaat ind, haves 2 skjeer til, og gjenta skeer sukker i, dette gjentages endnu en gang. Vend deretter gang; nu haves resten av sukkeret – — som omtrent skal være halvparten – lett — i, og det skjæres ind let, men raskt inn i massen.. Stryk røren raskt. Røren strykes nu tommetykt ut i papirformene. Sett dem paa papirformerne, sættes i en lunken ovn (ca. 100–120 °C) og tørk dem på tørres paa begge sider; snu sider, idet man vender dem over på paa en plate plate, belagt med papir og strødd strøet med sukker.. Visp fløten helt stiv og rør inn vaniljesukkeret. Legg kremen mellom sukker. — Fløten vispes aldeles stiv, i røres vaniljesukkeret; denne krem lægges mellem hver marengsbunn.. Pynt toppen marengsbund. Øverst kan pyntes med fruktgelé frugtgelé, eller man kan strø finhakkede pistasienøtter over.. Røren pistacier over. Man kan også settes ogsaa lægge røren med skje som ovale eller runde boller på ske paa en plate plate, belagt med lett melet hvitt papir. Dryss papir, som er melet litt. Røren lægges da som en oval eller rund bolle, drysses med sukker og tørk sukker, sættes i svakt lunken ovn og tørres paa ca. 1 time. Løsne dem forsiktig time; tages med forsigtighet fra papiret, skrap ut papiret; den fuktige røren røre i midten og sett dem midten, som ikke er tør, skrapes ut; lægges med aapningen op i ovnen med åpningen opp for å tørke. Når at tørre. Naar de er tørre og kalde, fylles kolde, fyldes de med krem eller is, og en annen anden marengsbolle trykkes over.

Note on Modernised

Mengder er omregnet til moderne mål (gram, dl, ts/ss). Utydelige brøker i OCR er tolket til nærmeste rimelige mengde. «Lunken ovn» er angitt som 100–120 °C, og fremgangsmåten er delt i nummererte trinn på moderne norsk.

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Frequently asked questions

How are the meringue layers baked?
The mixture is spread about an inch thick on three equally large paper molds (cut following a torte mold, lightly floured) and placed in a warm oven. Meringue should be dried slowly at low heat, not baked brown – allow plenty of time, the recipe totals about 3 hours.
How do I beat the egg whites correctly?
Use fresh egg whites and add the salt. Beat slowly at first with a wire whisk, then harder as the whites stiffen, until they are completely stiff. Then add 2 tablespoons of sifted confectioners' sugar at a time three times, and fold in the rest (about half the sugar) lightly but quickly.
What is the cake made of?
Three meringue layers of 12 egg whites, 3/4 kg confectioners' sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt, layered with 3/4 liter of whipped heavy cream flavored with 125 g vanilla sugar. The recipe is from Henriette Schønberg Erken's "Stor kokebok" (1914), p. 516, and makes 12 servings.

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