I decided to have a friend over for tea a few weeks ago to celebrate the royal wedding. One of the cookies I decided to make was meringues. A light sweet dry cookie I have loved since my grandmother made them for my sisters and me when we were kids.
I started with the basic vanilla and quickly found myself adding crushed toasted hazelnuts. I am not sure if this would technically be a Rocher, but it was a big success. The flavor and texture of the nuts mixed harmoniously with the vanilla sugar I used in the meringue.
The Next time I made them I was out of superfine sugar and found out the difference between the two. The granulated sugar made for a more granular texture. Lesson Learned.
Last night I found myself thinking about making this cookie once again. I decided to try a rose meringue and by mistake added three drops of rose oil instead of one. I ended up with the equivalent to a hand soap cookie. It was not good. Today I got back up and decided to try a chocolate meringue with Bergamot oil (This is what gives Earl Grey Tea its distinctive flavor). One drop and and it made for a perfectly seamless cookie. I have the meringue bug and will update with other flavors. I do intent to try the rose again.....
Lessons learned for meringues:
1. Use Superfine sugar
2. If you add cocoa powder fold it in.
3. If you decide to use flower essence start with one drop.
Next I will be talking about new albums for the Summer: Bon Iver, The Strokes, Beastie Boys, Fleet Foxes and more. I usually start my annual summer mix Memorial Day weekend!
