I is for Ice Cream

My favorite desserts are cakes or cupcakes, but Peter's first choice is ice cream just about every time.  We've had some fantastic frozen treats together.  In Charlottesville, we like to get the chilled glass artist's palette at Splendora's where you can sample eight different tiny scoops of gelato; the presentation is so fun and you get to try lots of different flavors without committing to a whole serving.  I have always enjoyed going to Arch's to get a scoop of frozen yogurt with a glob of half-cooked gooey brownie batter on top.  It's one of their signature toppings and it takes fro-yo to the next level.  Arch's is a college girl's staple at UVA, especially since they offer all sorts of Wow Cow low-calorie frozen yogurts and they have a hotline to call and check on the flavors of the day.  Genius!

Beyond Charlottesville, Peter and I like to indulge in ice cream when we travel.  I've got fond memories of sharing gelato in Rome while sitting outside the Pantheon, splitting a dipped ice cream in Prague, and trying some snazzy sundaes on a boat tour of the Rhine River valley in Germany.  We also love the occasional Blizzard from Dairy Queen at Smith Mountain Lake.  Who doesn't?  One of my favorite ice creams on a vacation though was on our honeymoon in Cabo; we ordered a trio of flavors and absolutely adored the combo of mango, tequila, and Mexican raw sugar ice creams.  We came home with the resort's recipe for tequila ice cream and have since recreated it for a flashback to our best vacation ever.  I promise I'll share that recipe one day!              

Since we got married, I've started making ice creams for us to enjoy at home.  We received the Kitchenaid ice cream maker attachment as a wedding gift and I'd definitely recommend it.  It's easy to use and doesn't require any rock salt because you freeze the canister before churning your ice cream.  It also allows you to make just the right amount of ice cream.  Many of the recipes I've come across are for 1 quart and I find that's a nice size for storing and serving.  We seem to run out of ice cream just as we're getting tired of the flavor.  A quart isn't so much that it sits around in the freezer collecting freezer burn.  

One of our favorite homemade ice cream flavors is Cookies n' Cream and I'll share that recipe today.  I've tried other "quick" ice cream recipes that don't require making a custard or "low fat" versions that use skim milk or don't have cream, but I find that the whole milk and cream are required for the smooth, creamy consistency we expect and crave.  The lower fat milks (skim or 1%) are more sensitive to curdling during the cooking process and tend to be icier and more crystalized after a few days in the freezer.  Splurge on whole milk and cream because the ice cream is rich and delicious and you don't need much to feel satisfied.  Be careful when heating your custard because if the temperature rises above 170 F, you can easily end up scrambling your whole recipe and there's no going back from there.  Stir it constantly and use a thermometer if you're worried that you're going to overheat it.  Check out this website that shows a picture of how your custard should look on the back of a spoon.          

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

From Williams-Sonoma Ice Cream  

1 1/2 c. whole milk

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (or 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract)

6 egg yolks

1/2 c. plus 2 Tbsp. sugar

In a saucepan, combine the milk, 1 c. cream, and vanilla.  Cook over medium heat until bubbles form around the edges of the pan (about 5 minutes).  Combine the egg yolks, sugar, and remaining 1/2 c. cream in a bowl and whisk to smooth out the mixture.  The sugar should begin to dissolve.  Remove the milk mixture from the heat and gradually add about 1/2 c. of it to the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid cooking the eggs.  Pour the whole egg mixture back into the pan with the remaining milk mixture and stir to combine.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (don't stop!) with a wooden spoon until it is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and leaves a clear trail when a finger is drawn through it. Do not let the custard boil.  Strain through a mesh sieve into a bowl and if you used a vanilla bean, discard it.  Place the bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice cubes and water.  Stir occasionally until cook and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it against the surface of your mixture to prevent a skin from forming.  Refrigerate your ice cream mixture for several hours or up to a day.  

Pour the custard into your ice cream maker and let it churn until it's a soft-serve consistency.  Transfer your ice cream to a freezer-safe container.  Let it harden in the freezer for at least 3 hours before serving.  Makes 1 quart.  

Cookies n' Cream Variety

Put 15-20 Oreo cookies in a gallon-size plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin or your hands.  You want some larger chunks.  I've used the food processor before to make fine Oreo crumbs, but this usually just turns the ice cream gray when I mix it together;  it's best to have some small pieces and some large pieces of cookie.  As soon as you take the vanilla ice cream out of your ice cream maker, use a spatula to gently blend in the cookie crumbs.  Don't over stir.  

B is for Broccoli Potato Soup

One of my favorite chain restaurants is Panera Bread, and at Panera, one of my favorite soups is their broccoli cheddar.  It is so good.  Every single time.  I've tried to find a recipe that tastes similar and gives you that warm, creamy, cozy feeling.  I wanted little chunks of broccoli and specks of carrots.  I wanted it to be thick and creamy without consisting entirely of heavy cream.  I believe I have finally found what I'm looking for, but unlike the soup at Panera, this recipe has a lot of potatoes in it to give it that wonderfully thick consistency.  I also don't add cheddar until I serve the soup because it tends to burn on the bottom of the pot, even when I use the lowest heat settings on my stove.  

The recipe for this soup comes from a Southern Living Homestyle Cookbook that Peter's grandmother gave me for Christmas one year.  This cookbook is unreal; everything I've made from it has been absolutely fantastic.  If you're thinking about buying a new cookbook, get this one!  

Broccoli potato soup is perfect this weekend because even though spring has officially arrived, we're still having cold and snowy weather.  Yes, snow!  We woke up this morning with about an inch of snow on the ground.  Fortunately the roads are clear and things seem to be melting away quickly.  If we had any real accumulation, we'd probably have a snow day tomorrow and I do not want to be making up those missed days when I need time to work on report cards.  March and April is a busy time for third grade teachers because not only do we have report cards, we also have to kick into major test prep mode to get the kiddos ready for the SOL's in May.  

If you make this soup, serve it the next day because it is that much better after the flavors have melded and matured.  It's good on the first day.  It's incredible on the second day!  

Broccoli Potato Soup

Adapted from Southern Living Homestyle Cookbook

6 or 7 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 onion, chopped

2-3 celery ribs, chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

1 8 oz. package Neufchatel or cream cheese

1/4 c. butter, softened

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 c. milk

2 c. water

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

salt and pepper

3 broccoli crowns, chopped

white cheddar cheese, grated 

Combine the potatoes, onion, celery, and carrots in a large pot;  add water to cover and sprinkle in some salt.  Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until all vegetables are tender.  Drain.  Mash the vegetables to create the consistency you desire.  Take softened cream cheese and butter and mix with an electric mixer until creamy.  Slowly add the chicken soup and beat well.  Stir in the 2 cups of milk with a spatula and add the creamy milk mixture to the pot with vegetables.  Stir in 2 cups of water, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil while stirring and then add the broccoli.  Reduce heat to simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally.  You can use an immersion blender to thin out some of the broccoli and potato chunks if you want the soup to be thinner.  

F is for Frittata

March has been a frittata month for me.  Last weekend my family came to Charlottesville for a day visit and I took the opportunity to make them brunch.  I made a basil, asparagus, and tomato frittata, a fruit salad, sausages, and toasted some multi-grain bread to serve with jams and preserves.

My mom brought a vase of beautiful orange tulips and I have enjoyed them all week.  After our breakfast, my dad helped me hang cup hooks in my china cabinet.  They look great!

We walked around on the downtown pedestrian mall and grabbed slices of pizza at Christian's for a late lunch.  Then we ventured over to UVA's grounds to enjoy the flowering trees and to see the work they've completed on the South Lawn project.  It's beginning to look very springy around here!  It was awfully nice to catch up with my family and show them a little bit of Charlottesville.  

This weekend our friend Scotty is visiting from Atlanta to enjoy the Libel Show over at the UVA Law School.  Peter and I sorely miss our law school friends.  Although C'ville is amazing, we have loved it the most when all our friends are around.  The toughest part of staying to live in your college town is that everyone who matters to you during college ends up leaving.  When they come around for weekend visits, it's really fun to go wine tasting, linger on restaurant patios, and try new recipes at the house.  This morning I made a smoked salmon and green onion frittata and it was oh-so-good.  I got the idea to add smoked salmon from one of my favorite Food Network stars: Ina Garten.

Guests seem easily impressed by frittatas, but they're super easy and great for company because they don't require a lot of attention (unlike pancakes, waffles, French toast, and other breakfast favorites).

          
Make-Your-Own Frittata
This recipe requires you to do a little picking and choosing, just like when you make an omelet.  The possibilities are endless!

6-8 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 c. milk or cream

handful of a chopped, fresh herb (like basil, dill, or parsley)

kosher salt

ground black pepper

1 c. vegetables (asparagus, carrot, artichoke hearts, potato, pepper, onion, squash, broccoli, etc.)
1/2 c. meat (cooked sausage or bacon, smoked salmon, chorizo, smoked turkey, chicken, etc.)
1/4 c. shredded or crumbled cheese (swiss, gruyere, gouda, parmesan, cheddar, feta, chevre, etc.)

Preheat your oven to 425 and move the top rack about 6 in. from the heating element.  In a bowl, combine eggs, milk, herbs, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.  In a large non-stick skillet, cook your vegetables in a bit of oil or butter until tender crisp.  Add your cooked meat to the skillet and pour egg mixture over the veggies and meat.  Cook over medium heat, lifting the edge of already set eggs so that the uncooked mixture can flow underneath and cook.  Cook until the whole dish is nearly cooked, but still shiny on top.  Sprinkle with the cheese you choose.  Set the skillet in your oven for a few minutes (3-10, depending on doneness) to melt the cheese and set the eggs.  To serve, use a pizza cutter and serve triangular slices.

R is for Roasted Chicken

Roasting a chicken takes a bit of time, but the payoff is completely worth it.  The house smells divine.  It impresses guests that you'd dare to cook a whole chicken instead of the ever-convenient chicken breasts.  If you try, you can make a 5 lb. roasted chicken stretch out into at least three meals and span a few days by working the leftovers into chicken salad, a quesadilla, or chicken and dumplings.  After the effort to roast a bird, Peter and I always make stock with the leftover carcass.  I know you can easily buy cans of chicken stock, but I love making it at home and storing it in a variety of freezable containers so that I'm ready for a soup, risotto, a sauce, or whatever takes a bit of chicken broth.        

I've tried several roasted chicken recipes from Barefoot Contessa, Williams-Sonoma, and Better Homes and Gardens, but they all send across the same message: lube up the bird with butter or olive oil, shove some aromatics inside, and include herbs.  Sorry.  That was crude.  But honestly, fixing up a whole chicken to be roasted is one of the nastiest things that happens in the kitchen!  Wash the bird, pull the neck and organs out of the body cavity, pat it dry, tie it up with twine, twist its wing tips around into an unnatural position to avoid burning, push things inside its body...it's all a mess!  I'd much rather bake a cake.  

In spite of the mess, roasted chicken is so good.  My most recent bird went a little like this:

Lime Tarragon Chicken

5 lb. chicken
2 limes
1 onion
1 Tbsp. garlic
1 handful of fresh tarragon
chili lime seasoning
2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
salt and pepper

Wash the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Set it in a roasting pan and put a quartered onion, garlic, and tarragon inside the body cavity.  Rub the room temperature butter all over the bird, especially getting the wings and "thin" parts that might be prone to burning in the oven.  Sprinkle with chili lime seasoning and salt and pepper.  Squeeze the juice from the limes over the top of the chicken and then push the halves inside the cavity to help flavor the meat.  Use kitchen twine to tie the legs together and then tuck the wing tips under the body to prevent burning or drying.  (I forgot to tuck the wings!)    

Roast at 375 for at least 1 and 1/2 hours if you have a 5 lb. chicken.  Generally, cook it 20 minutes for every pound of chicken or until a meat thermometer reads 180.  If you have time, use a baster to moisten the chicken and redistribute the juices roughly every twenty minutes.  It helps keep the meat from drying out and crisps up the skin.  Once the chicken is done, tent it with aluminum foil and let the meat rest for several minutes before cutting.

What can you do with all that chicken?

Day One.
Start by pulling off the legs and wings and eating those for dinner with your favorite grilled vegetables and some risotto or a baked potato.  After dinner, push up your sleeves and carve the chicken.  If you're scared, watch this how-to video.  You'll want to save the breast meat and keep it intact for another meal, but then use your hands and fingers to remove all the little shreds of tender white and dark meat that cling to the carcass or get left behind after you've sliced off the large pieces.  I set out a glass dish to drop all the small pieces of chicken into because I'll use these pieces to make a single serving of chicken salad later in the week.  

Day Two.
You can make a chicken quesadilla with whatever vegetables you have on hand.  I love to throw in spinach, asparagus, zucchini, tomato, peppers, grilled onions, or green beans.  I spray a tortilla with a bit of butter flavored spray Pam and then pile up diced chicken breast, veggies, and cheese (mozzarella, pepper jack, white cheddar).  I season with salt and then to make it wonderfully delicious, sprinkle on a bit of chili lime seasoning.  Spray another tortilla with nonstick spray and then cook it in a large skillet over medium heat, turning once after about 4 minutes.  Don't put it in your skillet until it's already hot, because you don't want to wait a long time and liquify your cheese in the process.  It's a nasty mess to clean up!

This is a Chicken, Spinach, and Red Pepper Quesadilla I made Peter with mozzarella cheese.  We love to turn leftovers into quesadillas because it transforms them into another meal instead of just reheating.

Day Three.
Use the shreds of chicken meat and leftover breast meat to make a chicken salad.  I typically add a squirt of mayo and some diced celery to make a quick lunch with crackers or toast.  Sometimes I add grapes or almonds or I might use the meat to make a curried chicken salad with apples and raisins.  I like to toss the meat and mayo into the mini food processor that works as an attachment with my stick blender.  It's quick and easy to make a single-serving using this tool, but you can also make a chunky chicken salad and skip the food processor altogether.

 

S is for St. Patrick's Day

To commemorate St. Patrick's Day last week, we made a pretty traditional feast including corned beef, cabbage, and mashed potatoes.  We asked a couple of friends over to share the meal and drink a few stout beers, and we even made Guiness ice cream floats to top off the evening.  Unlike the river in Chicago (watch this video clip!) and the beer at McGrady's Irish Pub here in C'ville, nothing served at my house was died green.  I just don't enjoy that aspect of St. Patrick's Day.  Green is my favorite color, but all the verde is a little too tacky for me.  The traditional Irish meal though?  I love it!

We decided to put the 2 1/2 lb. corned beef brisket in our slow cooker and it worked marvelously.  I just covered it with water and sprinkled in the herb pack that is included with the cut of meat.  We cooked the meat on low for about 8 hours.  Done.  Easy.  It was uniformly gray and hideous-looking on the outside, but perfectly pink and gorgeous on the inside.  Corned beef is one of those dishes that doesn't look very appetizing until you've sliced it.  The flavor of the meat?  Great!      

For the cabbage, I didn't want it to be sopping wet and soggy, but I did want it to have the flavor of the meat.  Instead of cooking the cabbage in with the meat, I roughly chopped the greens and then sauteed them for a few minutes in a high-walled skillet with a cup of the cooking water from the slow cooker.  I drained what was left of the water when the cabbage looked soft and sprinkled it with salt and pepper.

For the mashed potatoes, I tried something new.  I cut four or five yukon gold potatoes into quarters (skins on) and boiled them in a pot of salted water for about 20 minutes.  For the last few minutes of cooking time, I tossed in some cauliflower to cook with the potatoes.  I used a whole head of cauliflower and just chopped it up into smaller pieces before adding it to the water.  Once the cauliflower was soft enough to slide off a fork, I drained the water and used my masher to give the whole potato cauliflower mixture a good smashing.  I added a Tbsp. of butter, 1/2 c. lukewarm milk, 1/2 tsp. garlic powder, salt & pepper to taste.  Some people like their potatoes lumpy, but I am not one of those people.  I used my immersion blender to further smooth out the potatoes and cauliflower and it worked great.  This is one of my very favorite wedding gifts because it is so versatile and easy to use.  Just imagine quick smoothies, creamy soups, and homemade hummus.  So good!  If you don't have a "stick blender," I think you should get one.  I use it much more often than my stand-alone blender.

As a dessert, we got adventurous with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a squeeze of Hershey's chocolate syrup, and a little bit of Guinness poured over it.  Wide-eyed and excited, we took our first bites, but we were let down.  Beer and ice cream just aren't as wonderful together as you might hope.  If you want to try Guinness floats sometime, check out this site, where they make a delicious Chantilly whipped cream  to top it.  Chantilly crème is just vanilla flavored whipped cream for the record.      

To celebrate the holiday with my class, I took vanilla cupcakes with buttercream frosting and green nonpareils to school.  I avoided any shamrock green food coloring because I knew I'd see it on the kids' cheeks and lips for the rest of the day.  The students ooh'ed and ahh'ed as I showed them my food blog and I let them know that they were official tasters.  They are now aware of their supremely important status and I think they want me to use them again as test subjects.  Soon!  

C is for Chunky Cranberry Cookies

Have you seen those gifts that come layered in mason jars?  I've spotted cookie doughs, brownie mixes, bean soups, instant cappuccinos, and even corn bread given as a present with a note and directions to use whenever you're ready.  It's a great idea and a nice way to gift food without forcing a meal or baked goods on someone.  I really like this idea for giving a jar of M&M cookie mix to friends that might mix up a batch of cookies for Santa around the holidays.  What a quick & easy way to include kids in the cookies-for-Santa process!    

A fellow teaching friend gave me a mason jar filled with cookie dough ingredients layered beautifully.  It came with a sweet little card and the steps to make her "cranberries in the snow" cookies.  It was the quickest cookie recipe I've ever tossed together because I only had to add butter, an egg, and vanilla extract.  She had already included flour, baking soda, salt, oats, sugar, cranberries, white and dark chocolate chips, and walnuts in the jar.  So simple and so sweet!  

The cookies were absolutely delicious and even Peter, who hates nuts in his desserts, grabbed a few warm cookies to enjoy.  I took the chunky cookies with me to a potluck dinner with some friends and folks were eating them along with the appetizers!  They couldn't even wait until the meal was over to try them!

Because the cookies were filled with so many chunky delicious ingredients, I realized that baking them on a cookie sheet made them somewhat brittle and breakable.  Even with a gentle hand, some of the cookies were breaking apart when I tried to take them off the cookie sheet.   I wanted to preserve all that chunky goodness!  I decided to scoop the batter into my mini muffin tin and the final product was a real success.  I had thick, chewy hunks of cookie that were perfectly tender and soft in the middle but cooked enough around the outside to give them a solid shape.  I will be cooking more chunky cookies this way.  Give it a shot!  

Chunky Cranberry Cookies
from Sara Gibson

1 1/8 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. rolled oats, uncooked
1/3 c. white sugar
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. dried cranberries
1/2 c. white or dark chocolate baking chips
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Layer the dry ingredients into a mason jar and attach baking directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.  Using a mixer, beat the butter until creamy and add egg and vanilla.  Add contents of the jar and mix until well blended.  Drop rounded teaspoonfuls onto the cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

B is for Brisket

I try to use our slow cooker at least once a week because it's so nice to come home to good smells in the kitchen and a super easy dinner.  I especially like to set up a crock pot meal on days that I tutor after school so that I can come home later than usual, yet not feel like I have more work to do.

We have the Cuisinart 4-quart slow cooker that came from Crate & Barrel as a wedding gift.  Peter wishes we'd registered for the larger 6-quart one, but honestly, I think it's just right for us.  Many people think of crock pot meals as dry and bland or lacking quality ingredients.  It can be true.  We've all seen those Man-with-a-Can style cookbooks where you toss some beans and cut up frankfurters in the crock pot with some ketchup.  I don't cook like that.

In my slow cooker, I make soup and chili that can simmer all day to meld the flavors.  White bean chicken chili, chicken tortilla soup, and potato soup are some of my regulars.  During autumn's apple season, I like to fill the pot with local apples, water, cinnamon, and sugar and let it cook all day until the apples mash up with a spoon and make the most wonderful apple sauce.  Imagine that served with a pork tenderloin and roasted green beans...hungry?  If that isn't enough to tease your taste buds, Peter makes a killer chicken BBQ.  I'll share some more of those recipes in the future, so look out for a few slow-cooker specials that will make your life easier, but won't require you to compromise the quality of your meals.  

This week I made a new recipe for coffee-braised brisket with potatoes and carrots from the January 2011 Real Simple.  I prepared the veggies and cooking sauce the night before and Peter tossed it together before he went to work in the morning.  If I made it again, I'd use more coffee and a stronger variety.  The flavor of the brisket was nice, but for coffee-braised brisket, I expected a real coffee flavor and I just couldn't detect it.  Instead of new potatoes, I used red potatoes.  I also served the brisket with steamed broccoli and cauliflower instead of country bread, as Real Simple suggested.

Coffee-Braised Brisket with Potatoes and Carrots
January 2011 Real Simple

1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 lb. new potatoes (about 12)
1 lb. carrots, cut into 2 1/2 inch lengths
2 1/2 lbs. beef brisket
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 c. brewed black coffee
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

In the bottom of the slow cooker, combine the onion, potatoes, and carrots.  Season the beef with salt and pepper and place on top of the vegetables.  In a small bowl, whisk together the tomato paste, coffee, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar.  Pour over the beef and vegetables.  Cover and cook on low until the beef is tender (7-8 hours).  Slice the beef across the grain and serve with the vegetables and sauce, sprinkled with the parsley.

   

B is for Blueberry Muffins

My mom makes really delicious blueberry muffins and I distinctly remember her serving them with dinner in lieu of a roll or biscuit.  Most people think of muffins as a to-go breakfast or as a treat with coffee, but it doesn't have to be!  Try serving hot blueberry muffins along with a salad topped with grilled chicken, blueberries, pecans, and a lemon vinaigrette dressing.  Sounds delicious, right?  It'd be even better on your porch or patio with a glass of Viognier!

I like Williams-Sonoma's blueberry muffin recipe, but I don't put the buttery brown sugar crumble topping on as they suggest because they're decadent enough as is.  Before baking, I like to just sprinkle a few oats on top for texture.  Below is the recipe sans streusel topping.  Try these out!

Blueberry Muffins

from The Willams-Sonoma Baking Book

7 Tbsp. butter, room temp
3/4 c. white sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 c. fresh blueberries or frozen blueberries (unthawed)

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 12 muffin cups with non-stick cooking spray.

Using the mixer on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar and then add the eggs one at a time.  In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the dry goods to the butter mixture gradually and mix the milk and vanilla.  Stir until just moistened because the batter should be a little lumpy.  Fold in the blueberries carefully using a spatula.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups until level with the rim.  Bake the muffins until golden, about 20-25 minutes.  

M is for Meringues

One of my favorite cookies is a light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth meringue.  I like vanilla the most and I like the teeny tiny bite-sized ones because you can eat a whole bunch and you haven't done much damage to your health.  Because of a meringue's low-calorie reputation, dieters often get hooked on their crispy, light goodness.  One take on meringues is a dessert called a pavlova;  it's actually named after a Russian ballerina named Anna Pavlova. Evidently she liked big fluffy piles of meringue served with fruit and whipped cream on top.  It's a really common dessert during holidays in New Zealand and Russia and it often gets topped with berries, kiwi, or plums.  mmm...

I have had successful and unsuccessful meringue adventures.  I know that egg whites can be sensitive and I've done all I can to avoid their tragic "fall," but sometimes the reasons just escape me.  After some research (AKA Googling), I learned that egg whites need to be room temperature and that your mixing bowl must be immaculate.  Okay, done.  I also learned that egg whites are very sensitive to humidity and changes in weather because they have so much air whipped into them.  The type of air you're putting in there truly matters.  I can deal with that.  Note to self:  do not make meringues in August in Virginia.  Egg whites will not fluff up if they have any yolk mixed in with them and if you use your fingers to dig out shell or yolk when separating the whites, then you might as well pitch the whole thing.  Grease and oils, even from hands, mess up the whole situation.  Other things you should know about meringues is that they have to be mixed with a fine sugar and they must be cooked at a low temperature for a long time because you're drying them out more than cooking them.  Whew!  Can we say high maintenance?!  

This afternoon I tried to make some brown sugar meringues and I failed.  The whites fell and I could not get them back up.  I added the sugar slowly!  They were room temperature!  Everything was spic n' span!  I think my problem was that I had a couple windows open in the house.  It's because it was a glorious 70 degrees outside today and I was awfully excited about spring.  Oh, well.  I tried baking the drooly mess of whites in muffin cups as a last stitch effort, but it just made a nastier mess and I ended up tossing the whole situation in the trashcan.  I chose not to photo document this embarrassing episode.

Tonight, after Peter escaped to the office to work on taxes, I got the mixer out again, tied my apron on tighter than usual, and got to work again.  Same meringue recipe.  More determination this time!  I used eggs that weren't quite room temperature and I added the sugar after the whites were a little more stiff and perhaps that was the ticket.  I also whipped them for nearly 10 minutes while I did various kitchen chores and packed lunches for me and my man.  Boy, were those whites fluffy!  I used my Pampered Chef piping tool (thank you, Grandma!) and made beautiful star shaped cookies on parchment paper.  They're in the oven now, and I'll have you know they look great.  I'm going to let them cool in the oven overnight so they're nice and crisp.  I've read about how meringues sweat and droop in the fridge and are best kept in a breathable container like a tin at room temperature.  Goodness, they're high maintenance from beginning to end!

I've come to grips with the fact that my open windows doomed my first batch of brown sugar meringues, but I'm still unsure of what happened to my chocolate meringues a few weeks ago.  When I followed the recipe exactly, why did they flatten out into tooth-breaking discs in the oven?  They were absolutely fluffy when I piped them out and put them in the oven, so what happened in there?!  Let me know if you have any insight because I will not let this cookie defeat me.  I like it too much!

Brown Sugar Vanilla Meringues
adapted from The Williams-Sonoma baking book and Cook Yourself Thin Faster

3-4 egg whites
pinch of salt
few drops of lemon juice
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 250.  Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.  In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine egg whites, salt, and lemon juice.  Beat on high speed for about 2 minutes.  Reduce the speed and slowly add the sugar.  Return the mixer to high speed and beat until the egg whites are firm and glossy.  It might take 7-10 minutes.  Slow the speed again and add the tsp. of vanilla extract.

You can pipe your meringues using a plastic bag, an accent decorator, an ice cream scoop, or even just a spoon.  Bake the meringues for 1 hour and then turn off the oven and let them stay in the oven for another hour.  You can even crack the door and let them stay in there to dry overnight.  Enjoy!