Raspberry Meringue Hearts Sundaysupper Food

RASPBERRY FONDUE WITH MERINGUE CLOUD HEARTS

Steps:

• Heat cream in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until bubbles appear; remove from heat. Add white morsels and whisk until melted and smooth. Stir in jam and liqueur. Transfer mixture to a fondue pot. To keep fondue warm at the table for an extended period of time, place over a candle or canned heat burner. If eating immediately, serve in a decorative gravy boat. Serve with Meringue Cloud Hearts for dipping.
• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Place egg whites in clean bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and increase speed to high. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Mix in salt. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Quickly mix in food coloring, 1 drop at a time, until desired color is achieved.
• Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with the star tip. Pipe 2-inch-diameter heart-shape meringues onto prepared baking sheets, spacing evenly apart. Bake for 1 hour, or until dry and crispy when broken in half. Cool meringues completely on baking sheets. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

WHOOPIE HEARTS WITH RASPBERRY MERINGUE

Steps:

• Pour whoopie-pie batter into a gallon-size resealable plastic bag (work in two batches). Snip a 1/2-inch hole in one corner of bag. Pipe Vs onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Bake and cool. Thaw frozen raspberries in a sieve set over a bowl; press to extract 1/4 cup juice. Beat meringue into stiff, glossy peaks, then stir in juice. Transfer to another gallon-size resealable plastic bag. Snip a 1/2-inch hole in one corner. Pipe filling onto flat sides of half of cookies, then sandwich with remaining cookies.

RASPBERRY MERINGUES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 225°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. In small bowl, combine egg whites, cream of tartar and salt; beat until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until very stiff peaks form, about 10 minutes.
• Add jam and food color; beat 1 minute at high speed. Pipe or spoon 1-inch mounds onto paper-lined cookie sheets.
• Bake at 225°F. for 2 hours or until crisp and dry. Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Remove cookies from paper.

FRESH RASPBERRY MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170°F, or the lowest setting on your oven that is closest to this temperature. Move your oven rack to the top third of the oven. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Combine raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir often, crushing berries with the back of a wooden spoon as they cook. As soon as the rasberry mixture becomes syrupy, remove the pan from the heat. Strain the berry mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a measuring cup, pressing down on the berries with a rubber spatula to extract all the juices. You should have about 1/2 cup of raspberry sauce. Discard the seeds and stir the vanilla extract into the sauce. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before proceeding.
• Place egg whites in a mixing bowl and sprinkle the cream of tartar over them. Use a mixer to beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks.
• Stir the cooled raspberry sauce, then gently fold 1/3 of the sauce into the beaten egg whites. Repeat two more times with the remaining 2/3 of the raspberry sauce.
• Spoon meringue into a gallon-size zip-top baggie, forcing the mixture to one corner of the bag. Snip about 1/4" from the corner of the bag so meringues can be piped onto the prepared pan. Pipe out 1 1/2 inch swirled circles onto baking sheet, making sure that the meringues don't touch. If you prefer, meringues can be gently scooped and dropped by rounded teaspoonfuls instead of piping.
• Bake for 2 hours at 170°F, rotating the baking sheet after 1 hour so they will dry evenly. When done, the meringues should not have any browning, and they should be dark pink in color.
• Turn off the oven and allow meringues to remain in the oven for at least two hours to finish drying, or you can leave them in the oven overnight.
• Meringues can be stored in an airtight container for 5 days, or they can be frozen for up to one month. If frozen, allow to thaw to room temp before serving.