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Icing and Glaze for Tarts or Puffs
745. Beat the white of an egg, mix with it three or four ounces of finely-sifted sugar till it becomes white and glutinous; then when the tarts, &c., are ready, take them out of the oven, brush them over with this glaze, and return them for a few minutes to harden, taking care that it does not become brown.
This is meringue-style royal icing used as a hot glaze rather than a set frosting. The whole point is a brief, low return to the oven that dries the surface to a matte white without colouring it.
- Sugar quantityThree to four ounces of finely sifted sugar is roughly 3/4 to 1 cup of modern confectioners' sugar, by volume. Weigh it if you can: the ratio to one egg white decides whether you get a thin wash or a thick opaque coat.
- "Finely-sifted sugar"Period cooks pounded loaf sugar and sieved it fine. Confectioners' sugar is the nearest modern equivalent, and it should still be sifted, as lumps will not dissolve in so little liquid.
- Consistency"White and glutinous" is the target: beat until the mixture holds a soft ribbon off the spoon and looks opaque rather than translucent. If it slides straight off the tart, add sifted sugar a spoonful at a time.
- The hingeThe recipe names no temperature; it only warns against browning. Return the tarts briefly and watch them, and if your oven is hot, drop it: egg-white icing scorches to beige the moment the sugar catches, and once it browns the effect the recipe wants is gone.
- TimingThree to five minutes at that temperature is usually enough for a firm, dry surface. Longer will not improve it; the icing sets by drying, not by baking.
- Brush it hotThe tarts should come out of the oven and be glazed at once. A warm surface lets the icing spread thin and evenly instead of dragging the pastry.
- YieldOne egg white with this much sugar will glaze a batch of small tarts or puffs. Make it fresh; it stiffens and crusts on standing.
- Raw eggThe brief low-oven drying will not reliably pasteurise the egg white. If that matters for who is eating, use pasteurised egg white or powdered albumen, which whips and dries in the same way.