Well, the road to hell was paved with good intentions..and so was my blog.  I knew it was going to be difficult over the holidays to keep up with all of the commitments (one of them being my blog) but I didn't realize it would be impossible.

At first I let my ideas accumulate, taking pictures and preparing to write and telling myself that as soon as I was on vacation I would dedicate time to my entries.  All sounds well and good right??

Well the time came and I was off on vacation.  I packed my bags and took off for Toronto and then to Panama.  I made the decision not to take computer because I had my trusty phone which had all my pictures and videos on it and I was taking my Ipad so who needs a computer...

I wrote my first entry in Word a couple of days later and then went to upload it. (I learned a few months earlier that it is not a good idea to write directly into your blog because too much can go wrong) Well guess what...I couldn't open my website because I couldn't remember my ID and password.  Of course it is saved on my computer but that was back in Vancouver.

So now I had to contact my host and find out how to log in.  Well that took a couple of days to resolve and now it was actually Christmas.  The entry I had written was on a pre Christmas dinner party I had hosted and it kinda felt old so I ditched it.

But that is ok because there is lots of material to write about at Christmas. However that didnt happen because Christmas came and went and it was time to pack for Panama.

I knew going to panama was going to be an adventure so there would be lots to write about on that beautiful country.  But here I go with the excuses again...I was having so much fun there, you didnt hear from me at all..

I am going to post the cutest cake ever here...a little Reindeer with tasty meringue antlers...but other than that you are just going to get my appologies and my whinning...

I am 8 days away from going to Puerto Vallarta (it sucks to be me)..so look for entries when I get home.  I promise to make a better effort and give you lots of new material mainly in the form of pictures!  

 

So anyone around me these last few weeks know I have been obsessed with Meringue.  I was inspired by a recent Instagram picture that showed the new “Sultan Tip” ring and wanted to be able to make them.  But try as I may I could not get them to work.

They are supposed to have a nice clean hole in the centre and look much like a Christmas wreath in shape.

I tried many different recipes; some had cream of tartar, some grind their sugar, some added lemon juice...but no deal...couldn’t do it...

And then the moment passed.   I figured it was likely due to the fact I did not have a “Silpat” as shown in the demo video so decided to attack it again once I was in possession of one of those.

But this morning I wanted to make my Ghostly Meringues.  I then realized I did not have any liquid egg whites (which I swear by because you can only use so many egg yolks) so I had to resort to using real eggs. 

Well what a shock!!!

Real egg whites whip up way differently!  They were so stiff and glossy and beautiful...It made me want to dance with joy!  I could hold the entire bowl upside down and they stayed put!

So now I have to try the Sultan tips again!

But meanwhile, it was time to make the Ghosts.   They piped like a dream so I thought I would give you the recipe given I tried so many...this one is the best and is the basic.

 

MERINGUE RECIPE

 

4 Large temperature egg whites

½ teaspoon cream tartar

1 cup granulated sugar

½ teaspoon flavouring (vanilla, almond...I prefer almond)

 

Set oven to 170 degrees.

Whip the egg whites until foamy and then add the cream of tartar and whip for another minute or so to ensure it is well incorporated.

Gradually add all of the sugar one tablespoon at a time.  Make sure each addition is added slowly. It is a labour of love but worth taking your time to get a great finished product.

Finally add your flavouring a mix just a moment longer.

Put your meringue into a piping bag and pipe away.  For my ghosts I used a large round tip (number 5) but I wished it was a bit bigger and I piped my ghosts.  Finally I added my eyeballs.  Adding eyeballs always makes me laugh.  I feel like I am creating a family and then I don’t want to eat them.  Helps with my weight ...lol...

You need to cook these until crisp and it is hard to tell you how long that will be because it depends how big they are.  But probably at least an hour...maybe 2!  Then turn the oven off, prop open the door just a little and leave them in the oven.  I left mine over night.  Store in an airtight contain and they last a long, long time!  

A word of caution:  if you leave them in the oven overnight...don’t forget them!  I have done this before and trust me....it is disappointing to open your oven door to pop in your chicken after preheating  your oven only to find your pretty meringues cooked to oblivion.  

Lemon Roulade

 

So let me start out by saying that I have made this roulade for years.  It is one of my go to recipes but recently it failed me.  I couldn’t figure out why.  You know you read all the time about the weather playing havoc with meringues but that didn’t feel right because there was no humidity in the air.

Then, after a lot of googling, I found an article where someone was experiencing the same issue as me...not crisping up...and to my surprise...it was because we were both using pasteurized egg whites from a carton!

I guess in the past, I must have separated eggs from scratch!  So peeps...don’t make the same mistake...use fresh eggs!

 

 

RECIPE

5 egg whites

275 grams of white sugar

50 grams of lightly toasted sliced almonds

400 mls of whipping cream

3 tablespoons of lemon curd (I cheated and purchased it in a jar)

A nice heaping tablespoon of lemon zest

And some icing sugar, mint, fresh berries for presentation (optional)

 

1. Preheat the oven to 200°F. In a large, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until very stiff. Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking well between each addition. Continue whisking until all the sugar is incorporated and the mixture is extremely stiff and glossy.
2. Line a 9 x 12 inch pan with nonstick baking paper. Spread the meringue mixture evenly over the base of the tin and sprinkle over the almonds. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Lower the temperature to 170F and bake for a further 20 minutes until firm to the touch. Could take quite a bit longer depending on the weather. Remove the meringue from the oven and turn it out, almond-side-down, on to a sheet of nonstick baking paper. Remove the baking paper that lined the tin and leave the meringue to cool.
3. Lightly whip the cream, add the lemon zest and fold in the lemon curd. Spread the lemon cream evenly over the cold meringue. Roll up the meringue from one of the shorter sides to form a roulade. Finish with a light dusting of icing sugar, if you like. Serve with fresh berries.

 

Tips!

To make rolling much easier, gently score an indentation with a small sharp knife 1cm or so in from the edge of one of the shorter sides of the roulade (don't cut all the way through), and start to roll up from this side.

Once filled and rolled, the roulade can be chilled for a few hours before serving. It also freezes well. Wrap the filled roulade first in nonstick baking paper, then saran wrap, and freeze. Defrost at room temperature for 2 hours