Meringues

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!