i'm posting this early in the year so everyone will have ample time to practice making the little sweets before christmas...
meringue is really simple to make and work with. baking it is the annoying part. if you live in a rental, as i do, you might end up drinking gin as a side effect.
250 g room temperature egg whites
250 g granulated white sugar
250 g superfine sugar, powdered sugar or granulated sugar
in a stand mixer (you have to be crazy like me to attempt this with a hand-held mixer) beat the egg whites until very foamy. with the beaters going, add the first quantity of sugar by slowly shaking it in. don't let a big lump go in all at one time. once the whites form stiff peaks when the beater is raised, add half of the second quantity of sugar and fold in. then fold in the rest. now you're ready to pipe the mushroom shapes. this meringue is also good for making meringue discs, bowls, etc etc.
preheat the oven to 200 f
use 2/3 of the meringue to pipe the caps on cookie sheets covered with parchment paper. use the other 1/3 to pipe the stems.
bake until they are hard and crisp but try not to let them brown. if you weren't sure if your oven baked evenly before, baking meringue will show you the hot spots. personally, i think a little light brown tinge on some of them gives them 'character'...anyway, once they're done, pull them out and cool.
now make royal icing or heat up chocolate chips (if you're going for a dark-gilled variety)
poke a hole in the bottoms of the caps and break the peaky little point off the stems. spread icing or chocolate thinly on the bottom of the cap and draw lines in it with a skewer or other pointy object. now pipe some icing or chocolate into the hole, and stick the stem in. let them set up (i like to leave them upside down to dry), probably at least an hour or more.
and, done! they keep in an airtight container at room temperature for at least a week. they don't do well refrigerated and i haven't tried freezing them.
i'm dying to try melting red-hots and rolling the caps in them to make amanita mushrooms!!!
i too have been known to drink gin while i cook...i think this is a universal side effect. reminds me of those "thanksgiving meal instructions "chain emails that end up saying "and finally, took the curkey, pash the motatoes, finish off the rum, and call it a night".
ReplyDeletethe photos add so much to your methods! i especially love the first one here, with the pineapple wallpaper and mushrooms sitting close and cock-eyed, like they're nodding "howdy-do".
I made my first successful meringue this past x-mas. I think the reason it took me so long to perfect is because I have no choice but to attempt it with an ordinary hand-mixer. But I finally stuck with it no matter how long it took to beat and it paid off. I can't wait to try this variation.
ReplyDeleteThese are amazing! I will start practicing since now! I have a woodsy wedding coming up and these would make perfect, delicately wrapped gifts!
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