Mini Pavlovas (Meringue Dessert Cookies)

Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inner.

This is a lovely light dessert which you can vary to your taste.  Australians claim that it was created for the ballerina Anna Pavlova when she was visiting there but New Zealanders claim they had it long before then.  Whoever is right, I'm glad they kept the recipe!

You can make these way ahead of time and keep them in your cupboard in an airtight box for several weeks.

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1 cup sugar.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Whisk the egg whites until foamy
Add the cream of tarter and whisk to combine
Add the sugar - very slowly at first, scraping down the the bowl a couple of times.
Transfer mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1/4" tip and pipe onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet.  Pipe a small circle and build a "wall" as demonstrated in the video.
Place in preheated oven and turn off the heat.  Leave to dry for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.

Suggested fillings:  lemon curd and raspberries, whipped cream and assorted small or sliced fruits, chocolate ganache or chocolate mousse.
Fill no more than an hour or so before serving as meringues will soften.

Watch the Video

                                                          

Meringue Mushrooms (Cookies)

Meringue mushrooms are the traditional decoration for a Buche de Noel (Yule log cake) but they also make a cute addition to your cookie repertoire.  My method of attaching the tops to the stems is different from the usual instructions which call for making a small hole in the bottom of the mushroom cap, but I think you will find there is lot less breakage using my method.  Watching the video will make this clear.

My favorite story about these little morsels goes back a number of years.  I had brought a basket  of the mushrooms as a hostess gift.  I heard a few weeks later that my hostess thought she had received the strangest gift ever -until she realized they were cookies!


Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tarter
1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
2 oz bitter sweet or semi-sweet chocolate


Steps:

1. Beat eggs in mixer until frothy.
2. Add cream of tarter if not using a copper bowl.
3. Slowly add sugar, stopping to scrape down the bowl once or twice
4. Transfer mixture to piping bag.
5. Pipe mushroom tops and stems.
6. Place in pre-heated 300 degree oven, turn oven off immediately.    
7. Leave in oven two or three hours or overnight. 
8. Assemble the mushrooms: cut stem points, apply chocolate to base of mushrooms and connect the stem.

WATCH THE VIDEO DEMONSTRATION