How to Make Meringue Mushrooms
Recipe & Tips for Homemade Christmas Log - Buche de Noel Decorations
Dec 10, 2008
Meringue mushrooms are adorable, whether eaten by themselves or whimsically decorating a Christmas log (Buche de Noel). This recipe is low-fat and can be gluten-free.
As with all meringues, these mushrooms are best made on a cool dry day. Humidity tends to make meringue sticky. Be sure to whip your egg whites in a perfectly grease-free bowl with spotless beaters, as any trace of oiliness will prevent the whites from foaming.
Ingredients:
- 2 egg whites at room temperature
- ½ cup caster (superfine) sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- ½ tsp vanilla
Method:
Making the Meringue
- With electric beaters, whip the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks begin to form.
- Slowly add the sugar and cream of tartar, and whip until stiff peaks form and the sugar has dissolved. If the mixture looks gritty, keep beating.
- Add the vanilla essence and beat again briefly to mix.
Piping the Meringue Mushrooms
- Preheat the oven to 120 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- With a plain round nozzle, pipe several short stems which stand straight up on the paper.
- With a larger nozzle, pipe the same number of caps—round blobs of meringue—next to the stems. It is wise to pipe extra caps and stems, to allow for some breakage during assembly.
- Bake the mushrooms for one hour, or until they are dry and firm without browning.
Assembling the Meringue Mushrooms
- Melt ½ cup broken dark chocolate on Medium power in the microwave for one-minute bursts, stirring after each minute. Alternatively, melt the chocolate pieces in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, taking care that no steam touches the chocolate.
- With a knife, spread a circle of chocolate on the bottom of a mushroom cap. The chocolate forms the 'gills' of the mushroom, and should be spread nearly to the edge.
- Carefully stick the tip of a mushroom stem into the centre of the chocolate.
- Leave to dry upside-down. To keep the mushrooms in position, place them in the hollows of an egg carton.
- Before serving, dust a little cocoa powder very lightly over the tops of the mushrooms to give them some texture.
Meringue Mushroom Variations and Tips
- For a child's party, divide the meringue mixture into a few small bowls and colour each portion with food colouring. Make 'fairy meringues' in pink, green and blue. Hundreds and thousands may be sprinkled over the caps before baking.
- Pipe chocolate spots over the caps of the mushrooms to make fairy toadstools.
- If the meringue mushrooms are to be gluten-free, ensure that gluten-free chocolate is used for the gills.
- The meringue mixture can be flavoured with rosewater, raspberry essence or liqueur to subtly change the taste. Simply beat in a few teaspoons of the desired flavouring in place of the vanilla essence.
The copyright of the article How to Make Meringue Mushrooms in Baking & Desserts is owned by Sarah Tennant. Permission to republish How to Make Meringue Mushrooms in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
 |
 |
