Pink Meringue Clouds Food

PINK MERINGUE CLOUDS

Steps:

• Combine everything for the cookie dough; chill while preparing meringue.
• To prepare meringue: Beat egg whites with salt in small bowl until soft mounds (not peaks) form. Gradually add sugar; continue beating until stiff peaks form. (Once you get peaks that stand up, stop. You can overbeat meringue.) Fold in vanilla, vinegar, chocolate chips, and crushed candy.
• Shape dough into balls using a rounded teaspoon. Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in sugar.
• Top each cookie with a rounded teaspoon of meringue. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minute.

MERINGUE CLOUDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange two oven racks evenly in the oven.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the sugar in an even layer on the paper. (Leave a small border of paper around the sugar so the sugar doesn?t spill onto the pan.) Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When the sugar is almost ready, whisk the egg whites on high speed for 1 minute, until the whites are frothy. With the mixer still on high, slowly add the hot sugar to the egg whites. (I use a large spoon to start and then pick up the paper and pour the sugar in slowly.) Add the vanilla and continue to whisk on high for 10 minutes, until the meringue is at room temperature. It will be very thick and glossy.
• Using two large serving spoons, scoop 12 very large oval dollops of meringue onto two sheet pans lined with parchment paper. You should be able to get 6 meringues on each pan; space them well because they will expand while they bake. Place 3 candied rose petals on top of each meringue. Bake for 2 hours, until the outsides of the meringues are crisp and the centers are still soft. Set aside to cool on baking racks. Allow to sit uncovered and serve at room temperature. (Don?t refrigerate or store covered or they will lose their crispness.)
• Photograph by Ryan Dausch

PEPPERMINT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and preheat to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a large bowl until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until soft peaks form. While beating, add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in the peppermint.
• Fold the top of a pastry bag fitted with a round tip over and down a few inches. Dip a paintbrush in the food coloring. Starting inside the pastry tip, brush a stroke of food coloring from the tip to the top of the bag. Repeat with 3 more evenly spaced strokes. Fill the bag with the meringue; try to spoon it directly into the center so as not to smudge the food coloring (though some smudging is inevitable). Pipe 1-inch-diameter mounds of meringue spaced 1 inch apart onto the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake until the meringues are no longer glossy and feel light and dry when picked up, about 1 hour. Open the oven for a few minutes, then turn it off and shut the door. Leave the meringues in the oven until they are completely dry inside, about 2 hours. The meringues can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.

MERINGUE CLOUDS

Steps:

• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 250 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a large clean dry bowl with a mixer on medium speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium high and beat until thick and opaque, about 1 more minute. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, and beat until stiff shiny peaks form, about 5 more minutes.
• Scoop 6 large mounds of meringue (3/4 cup each) onto the baking sheets, leaving space between each. Using the back of a spoon, pull up the meringue to form swoops and spikes on each mound. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 250 degrees F until dry and crisp, 4 to 5 hours. Let cool completely on the baking sheets. Store in an airtight container in a dry place for up to 1 week.

MERINGUE CLOUDS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange two oven racks evenly in the oven.
• Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and spread the sugar in an even layer on the paper. (Leave a small border of paper around the sugar so the sugar doesn't spill onto the pan.) Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the sugar is hot (an edge will begin to brown). Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. When the sugar is almost ready, whisk the egg whites on high speed for 1 minute, until the whites are frothy. With the mixer still on high, slowly add the hot sugar to the egg whites. (I use a large spoon to start and then pick up the paper and pour the sugar in slowly.) Add the vanilla and continue to whisk on high for 10 minutes, until the meringue is at room temperature. It will be very thick and glossy.
• Using two large serving spoons, scoop 12 very large oval dollops of meringue onto two sheet pans lined with parchment paper. You should be able to get 6 meringues on each pan; space them well because they will expand while they bake. Place 3 candied rose petals on top of each meringue. Bake for 2 hours, until the outsides of the meringues are crisp and the centers are still soft. Set aside to cool on baking racks. Allow to sit uncovered and serve at room temperature. (Don't refrigerate or store covered or they will lose their crispness.)

PINK PEPPERMINT MARSHMALLOW CLOUDS

Steps:

• Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with parchment paper letting the paper overhang on two sides. Dust the paper and pan liberally with the confectioners' sugar.
• Put 1/2 cup cool water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and sprinkle the gelatin over the water.
• Combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the sugar mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer, 12 to 15 minutes.
• With the mixer on medium-low speed, very slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture. Continue to beat until foamy, about 1 minute, then increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture forms stiff peaks and the bottom of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the peppermint extract and the pink food coloring and mix again to combine. Spread the marshmallow mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle the top with the crushed candy. Let sit, uncovered, overnight.
• Lift the marshmallow out of the pan using the overhanging parchment as handles and place on a cutting board. Use a sharp, heavy knife sprayed with cooking spray to trim the edges. Cut the marshmallow into 12 pieces, spraying the knife between cuts as needed.
• To store the marshmallows, dust the bottom of an airtight container with confectioners' sugar. Remove the marshmallows from the parchment, place in the container and keep at room temperature for up to a week.

LIGHTEST EVER MERINGUES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment and set up a piping bag with a medium-size star nozzle.
• In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until very stiff - the whites should stand in stiff, not floppy, peaks when the beaters are lifted out. Once you have reached this point, pour in roughly half the sugar and the vanilla extract and whisk again until the mixture becomes very thick, firm and shiny. Add the remaining sugar and whisk again until thick, firm and shiny. If you like meringues with soft, mallowy centres, just add 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tsp white wine vinegar to the mix along with the sugar.
• Carefully spoon the meringue into the piping bag. Push any air out of the top and tightly twist the end of the piping bag to seal. Gently squeeze until meringue is visible at the end of the nozzle, then begin piping onto your lined baking sheets. Pipe spiralling circles, about 6cm wide and 3 layers high - like you would ice a cupcake to make roughly 18. The meringues will spread slightly as they cook, so leave enough space between each one. Bake in the oven for 1 hr, turning the heat down to 120C/100C fan/gas ½ after 30 mins.
• Remove from the oven - they should peel easily away from the parchment - and cool on a wire rack. Can be made up to a week ahead and kept in an airtight container, or frozen for up to 3 months, between layers of parchment, in an airtight container.
• To make Cream & chocolate meringues for dessert, put 100g dark chocolate in a glass bowl and melt over a pan of gently simmering water. Carefully dip the base of each meringue in to coat, then place on their sides on a plate or tray to set. While the chocolate sets, whip 300ml double cream. Assemble the meringues in pairs and sandwich their chocolate bases together with a good spoonful of cream. Delicious served with ice cream, raspberry coulis or fresh berries.

PINK COOKIES - MERINGUE JELLO COOKIES

Steps:

• Carefully seperate egg whites from yolks - ANY yolk left in the egg whites and you will not be able to make the meringue!
• In a clean dry bowl whip egg whites, white vinegar and salt until stiff (but not dry!).
• Add in sugar and jello powder (Traditionally we use Red Jello - such as raspberry or Cherry -- ).
• Fold in chocolate chips
• On buttered cookie sheet, drop spoonfuls of meringue - I do smaller, bite sized cookies.
• Bake on a buttered cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 250* then turn off the oven and let them sit there over night.
• Do not peek or open the oven! They will turn out soft and chewy!
• Preparation time is to make the meringue - Cooking time is total time to make!

MERINGUE COOKIES OR CLOUD COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until soft peaks form. Add vanilla.
• Gradually add sugar, beat until stiff. (Don't over beat though or they get 'tough'!) Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
• Drop by teaspoonful on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake until dry at 300 degrees, about 20-25 minutes (sometimes this takes 35-45 minutes).
• Note: you can also add 2 Tbls of cocoa to make Chocolate Clouds.