639448 Sat Jul 25 19:05:13 -0700 2009 1 31 Home Cooking 0 4890654 I tried my hand at Italian buttercream for the first time. It seemed simple enough. Everything was fine until I added the butter to what seemed like a very good meringue. I added the butter and it broke. But I kept on mixing and it seemed to get much worse. Finally it came together but it seems like whipped butter, rather than icing. It was far too soft and lacked that stiff but light quality, i associate with icing. I have tried to find detailed recipes to see what I might have done wrong, but there seems to be a paucity of these. I would greatly appreciate any tricks of the trade. Sat Jul 25 19:05:13 -0700 2009 228737 Will S. 1 4890946 Google Italian Meringue Buttercream. You will come up with a few hits with detailed instructions. BTW when making buttercream I always find that the butter gets incorporated better if you beat it first. Sat Jul 25 22:55:47 -0700 2009 4890654 13143 souschef