I made these for a tv program initially. Made a slew of these - both kinds - yesterday. Very simple.
Kitchen Oriented Christmas GiftsI'm looking at this logically when it comes to Christmas gifts for our kids since they all cook. It helps when I know what I like as far as equipment. For DD...
Pastorio -------------------------- Meringue Cookies 3 large egg whites 1-4 teaspoon cream of tartar 3-4 cup confectionersÕ sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Heat oven to 220¡F. Whip egg whites until frothy, add cream of tartar, whipping it in. Add sugar gradually, whipping constantly, until the meringue holds stiff peaks. Whip in vanilla. Pipe mounds onto greased parchment of silicone baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake until slightly browned, rotating sheets occasionally, for about an hour. Turn off oven, crack door open and leave the meringues to dry for another hour or two until very light and crisp. Store in airtight tins or plastic containers.
Meringue Cookies with Ground Almonds Follow the meringue cookie recipe and fold in 3-4 cup finely ground almonds or canned almond paste along with or instead of the vanilla extract. I usually subsbreastute Amaretto for the vanilla to intensify the almond flavor. These meringues will be crisp on the outside but moist on the inside, and heavier than the plain ones.
You can make your own almond paste by processing 1 1-2 cups almonds with 1 or 2 tablespoons sugar in a blender or food processor.
