Meringue Troll
Meringue Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Confectioners' sugar
Meringue Preparation
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
In small mixing bowl at high speed, beat egg whites with cream of tartar until foamy.
Add sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy and stand in stiff peaks (rub just a bit between thumb and forefinger to feel if sugar is dissolved).
Beat in vanilla.
Place mixture in pastry bag.
Butter and flour a large cookie sheet. Pipe mixture onto cooking sheet. Start in the middle and, going in a flat spiral circle, pipe the edge by going up the sides to form a nest-like shell.
Bake for 1-to-1 1/2 hours.
Turn off oven, and open door to allow meringues to sit in oven until cool, at least 1 hour.
Store in airtight container until ready to use.
Meringue Mushrooms
Use same meringue recipe as above.
Pipe out mushroom cap-sized dollop out of pastry bag. Pipe out stem (just a small line) out of pastry bag.
Bake as above.
Put cap and stem together when cool with a mixture of confectioners' sugar and water.
Meringues may be stored for several months in tightly covered containers with waxed paper between layers. To re-crisp, bake in preheated 250 degree F oven for 15-to-20 minutes.
Meringue Shell Filling Ingredients
Canned peaches
Preserves (strawberry, raspberry, apricot)
Raspberry sauce
Assembly
Place meringue shell on plate.
Put preserves right in center of shell.
Put peach half in shell.
Add raspberry sauce to outside edge, tilt to distribute sauce.
Place meringue mushrooms on side of plate with confectioners' sugar and water mixture.
Petite Vasharon means little meringue shell.
