FOR THE ITALIAN MERINGUE
Prepare the meringue by boiling the water with the sugar up to 121° or if you do not have a thermometer, remove the syrup from the flame as soon as it starts to make small bubbles close together (calculate 5 minutes to boil); in the meantime, whip the egg whites at moderate speed, when they assume a foamy appearance increase the speed and pour the hot syrup three times, gradually increasing the speed. As soon as the meringue is firm and bright, switch off the whisk and put it to one side.