Meringue Kisses
Light as a cloud, these sweet little kisses are
just the thing when the sweet tooth bites.
Makes 36
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 large egg whites
1
⁄8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3
⁄4 cup granulated sugar
(superfine is best)
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
2 ounces chopped semisweet or
bittersweet chocolate (
1
⁄8-inch chop)
Preheat oven to 225°F. Line two baking
sheets with parchment paper. Brush the
parchment lightly with the melted butter,
then dust with powdered sugar, shaking
off excess sugar.
Place the egg whites and cream of tartar
in a medium mixing bowl. Start mixing
the egg whites and cream of tartar on
Speed 1, increasing gradually to Speed 5.
Whip until soft peaks form, 1
1
⁄2 to 2 min-
utes (depending on temperature of egg
whites). Sprinkle sugar 1 tablespoon at a
time over egg whites and beat on Speed
4 after each addition, until stiff peaks
form and mixture is shiny but not dry,
about 4 minutes total.
Add the vanilla and beat on Speed 1
to blend in, 10 seconds.
Using a clean rubber spatula, fold in
chopped chocolate. Drop meringue
mixture by rounded tablespoons onto
prepared baking sheets, or gently place
it in a large pastry bag fitted with a
3
⁄8-inch plain tip and pipe out “kisses”.
Bake in preheated oven for 1
1
⁄2 hours;
do not peek. Turn off oven and let sit in
warm oven for an additional 1
1
⁄2 hours to
dry out. Transfer to a wire rack to cool
completely. Store in an airtight container.
Nutritional information per “kiss”:
Calories 26 (19 from fat) • carb. 5g
• pro. 0g • fat 1g • sat. fat. 0g • chol. 0mg
• sod. 8mg • calc. 1mg • fiber 0g
Tip: Meringues are best when made on
a dry day.
To make “nests” for mousse:
Draw 3-inch circles on the underside of
parchment sheet. Butter and dust with
powdered sugar. Pipe concentric circles
of meringue into the 3-inch rounds. Pipe
another 2 circles on the outermost edge
of the meringues. Bake as directed, but
increase the baking and resting time to
2 hours. Makes 4.
Apple Cranberry Coffee Cake
This versatile cake can be served as a
breakfast or brunch cake, or warmed for
dessert and topped with a scoop of vanilla
ice cream or softly whipped cream.
Makes 18–24 servings
cooking spray
3 cups sliced apples*
(peel, core, quarter apples, cut into
1
⁄8-inch slices)
juice of 1 lemon
3
⁄4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1
⁄2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1
⁄2 cup dried cranberries
(may substitute dried cherries,
blueberries or raisins)
3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3
⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into
1
⁄2-inch pieces
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a
13x9x2-inch rectangular baking pan with
cooking spray.
Place the apples, lemon juice, brown
sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and dried
cranberries in a medium bowl. Toss
gently to combine; reserve.
Place the flour, baking powder, and salt
in a medium bowl. Mix on Speed 1 to
8