Day 21: Peppermint Meringues Cups with Ganache

I think I am the only one who truly loves, loves, loves meringues. So light, so tasty and so pretty. That is why despite my better judgement I tried this recipe for Peppermint Meringues with Chocolate Ganache from none other than Martha Stewart! Ack! What was I thinking! Okay, it wasn't that bad, but I will fill you in on some of the things Miss Martha won't tell you. So go ahead and click the link above and read this recipe.
All done?
First of all, this is not a recipe for the novice. There is serious baking equipment you must have, not should have, but must have. Years ago when I first started baking cakes you would have to order a lot of the speciality decorating items. Now you can find just about anything and everything you need at Michael's, Target, Walmart, even Fresh and Easy has started carrying Wilton items.
Second, read and follow all the tips I posted yesterday. Have your equipment ready! I did not, and found I was out of large pastry bags. I had to use parchment triangles, several of them. You really need a good quality, large pastry bag for this recipe.
Third, the first few squeezes of the meringue will not have the stripes you painted. Slowly squeeze this back into the bowl until you just start to see a dash of red coming through your pastry tip.
Fourth and oh so important.... when mixing the egg whites with the sugar over the simmering water be careful the bowl is not too warm when you add the egg whites, better still add the sugar first then the egg whites. And begin stirring immediately and constantly. Otherwise you will have very sweet poached egg whites.
I've gotten out of order so here are just a few more tips: don't worry too much about painting your lines straight, it won't matter when you begin piping; use superfine sugar instead of granulated but beware, it will dissolve faster; the top of a bottle of non-perils or sprinkles is about 1-3/4 inches.

And that is just the meringues!!

Now on to the ganache, well I won't even attempt to give any tips on ganache. Maybe my mother, an amazing baker and cook, will be so kind as to post some of her tips for ganache in the comments below. (Also I can make sure she is reading this blog-hehe). I never seem to do it just right, I just know it is never quite as simple as it sounds.

As I write this the meringues are in the oven and the ganache is chillin in the fridge. this takes about an hour and a half! So I will stop here and update this with pictures when they are all done. I can tell you though, only about 5 of the meringues look like Martha's.

Oh and real quick- I was so happy to hear the teachers at Norris Middle School enjoyed the cookies today!
Update:::::::
It's almost 5am and the ganache is set!!! The cookies are finally finished...

Another update:
Sadly these do not taste all that amazing...certainly not for the amount of work and how good they look. The meringue and ganache just do not seem to go together all that well. At 1/4 teaspoon, the peppermint is still a little too much. And the cookies are more chewy than crisp, not wet mind you, so I know I baked them long enough, just kind of chewy. Maybe next time I will skip the sugar dissolving step.

Day 12: FaLaLaLaLa-Meringues

Today's recipe is from Cooks.com. I looked up several recipes for meringues and they are all pretty much the same, so no rhyme or reason as to why I chose this one.
Here's one thing to know about meringues if you have never made them...they are deceptive little liars! You see them in bakeries, magazines, cookbooks and websites and they are so pretty, so simple, you just have to have them for your own. Then you read the recipe and think, "eggs, sugar, vanilla...I have that stuff, looks easy". Yeah, not so much. I have made them before and honestly they are not exactly difficult to make but there are some things to know. First make sure your egg whites are at room temperature; second, for the love of all that is holy, use a stand mixer; third, practice your piping skills before you start; and finally be patient.

the little peaks kept breaking off

I am pretty good a piping, not a professional, but not bad. At 5am, however, I could not find any of my large pastry tips. So I just cut the tip of the pasty bag and opted for the less inspiring "kiss" look. For the cherry-nut meringues though I did kind of want a rustic look, I swear I did not just get lazy. Which reminds of another tip: it's a good idea to draw, or better yet print, out small circles and lay or parchment maper over them while piping. This will give you more uniform shaped cookies. I did not...again, it was 5 am.
Martha Stewart has a recipe on her website for these adorable little peppermint meringues filled with chocolate ganache. If I can find the courage to trust her again I may give them a go.
Another thing about meringues: you always see them with their cute little bottoms dipped in chocolate and then maybe nuts or candies. This too, is not as easy at it may seem. After two I realized I was creating more mess than art and took the easy way out and just drizzled. Gotta love that drizzle!