Egg whites can be beaten to a foam to use as a leavener or lightener. Meringues are made by incorporating enough sugar to both stabilize and sweeten the foam. In the first section, viewers explore the techniques and preferred methods for creating common, Swiss-style, and Italian-style meringue. They also learn classic uses of meringue as well as innovative presentations while they gain helpful tips on producing, storing, and evaluating this fundamental component of the professional baker's art.
The difference between a plain baked item and a fancy pastry often relies on the presence of an icing or filling, or a sauce or a glaze. This section explains the techniques and basic recipes for these staples of fine pastries as well as the quality standards for evaluating vanilla sauce and pastry cream.