I hope this helps! I have made it before without a thermometer, and what I did was take the boiling sugar syrup, just a bit on a spoon, and drop it into a glass of cold water. If it turns into a ball and you can squish it and it stays together, but is squishy, it is ready to go! This is called the hard ball stage. Let's see what others say!
If you want to, SMBC is almost the same as Shirley's and my recipe hasn't got that much butter in it either...you won't need to use a thermometer if you use pasteurized egg whites...just heat them with the sugar till they are "hot" in your mixer bowl over simmering water..
Then use whisk attachment and beat for 10 minutes or until the bottom of the mixer bowl is cold
Then add add chunks of the room temp butter incorporating each chunk before adding the next
It might look curdled at some point but have no fear..just keep beating..it will look fine in another few minutes..
add flavouring to taste (and try and keep out of the icing after that!!!)
200gm sugar
5 egg white (10 tblsp) of pasteurized egg whites
1 lb butter
salt and flavour
If you want chocolate add 300 gm of semi sweet melted choc when it is finished and beat it in..when choc is cool
I know you wanted to make IMBC but this is very easy..easier to me anyway and it is very, very similar...and no thermometer needed...an alternative if you like...
HTH
Or you can try a trick I was taught in Alice Medrich's class. Use a large slotted spoon, let syrup come to a boil, dip spoon into syrup, lift out and blow through the slots of the spoon. The minute it forms a large bubble like childrens liquid soap bubble it is done, take it off the heat and pour slowly but steadily into the beaten egg whites.
Or you can try a trick I was taught in Alice Medrich's class. Use a large slotted spoon, let syrup come to a boil, dip spoon into syrup, lift out and blow through the slots of the spoon. The minute it forms a large bubble like childrens liquid soap bubble it is done, take it off the heat and pour slowly but steadily into the beaten egg whites.
Thanks Shirley! That worked great.
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