Meringues of Various Shapes and Sizes

I've had a recent interest in gourmet baking.  And by "gourmet" I mean anything that seems daunting in my eyes.  Anything that requires whipping, sifting, or peaks automatically turns me off.  It just sounds complicated, right?  You mean, there are multiple steps that have to be followed in that exact order?  Not cool.  

It wasn't until I tried my first chocolate mousse that I realized how easy it could be.

The part that I hate most about baking is all the measuring of ingredients.  I get the purpose, you want to be exact to have consistency of product and baking times, but can't you just eyeball it and throw it in a bowl?  Totally not my style.  But then there's a "gourmet" recipe like this- only two ingredients!  How hard can that be?  But wait- this recipe has both whipping and peaks, this is getting complicated.


Authentic French Meringues:


4 egg whites
2 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
*optional- cocoa powder and chocolate extract

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Butter and flour a baking sheet.

In a glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy using an electric mixer. Sprinkle in sugar a little at a time, while continuing to whip at medium speed. When the mixture becomes stiff and shiny like satin, stop mixing, and transfer the mixture to a large pastry bag. Pipe the meringue out onto the prepared baking sheet using a large round tip or star tip.

Place the meringues in the oven and place a wooden spoon handle in the door to keep it from closing all the way. Bake for 3 hours, or until the meringues are dry, and can easily be removed from the pan. Allow cookies to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.

So, I may not have used a fancy pastry bag with a star tip.  As a matter of fact, I used a gallon ziploc bag with the corner cut off.  Just keeping it classy.

I wasn't pleased with my textural consistency, but that's my fault for trying to food process normal sugar to make confectioners'.  What?  I didn't want to go to the store.  For the chocolate ones (which were way tastier than the others) I used about a tablespoon of cocoa powder and a half teaspoon of chocolate extract.  The cocoa powder mixes in really easily, so I would definitely repeat them.

Oh- and be careful, they are fragile.  And I hear they go well with coffee!

Oven-baked Chicken Wings

One of John's many specialties . . .

I guess they could be considered "healthy" because the fat dripped off of them in the oven as they crisped up, and then were smothered in hot sauce to a beautiful perfection.  Blue cheese dressing is a must in this case.

Go ahead, feast your eyes.  They were every bit as delicious as they look.

A Strawberry Harvest

Ok, so not much of a "harvest," per se, but it was still a lot of fun and anticipation.  I hope they flower again before the summer is over.

Hiking in the Smokies

In the Greenbrier Disctrict of the Great Smokey Mountain National Forest.

Driving through the Great Smoky Mountains

Sorry for the windshield smear.  We were driving kind of fast, and many bugs were killed along the way.

Tri-Color Hashbrowns and Egg Yolks

Let me start this post by apologizing for my absence.  It becomes awfully hard to find inspiration when work takes over your life.  Just saying.

Now back to breakfast!

It is no secret that I love breakfast.  I have many posts about it.  I love my waffle maker.  I make jam.  That's right, jam.  So it should be no surprise that when I buy a bag of mixed fingerling potatoes I immediately think, "hash browns!"

And then I had these four egg yolks sitting in the fridge from making meringue cookies the day before . . . (stay tuned for that post!)

And a splendid breakfast it made!

And it was good to get back into the kitchen, and even better to have made myself a home cooked meal.

Chocolate Mousse

It seems it is the time of year where everyone is watching their weight.  At work, people gaze at the menu even longer than usual, trying to count calories in their mind.  They cringe at the bread bowl offering and reluctantly choose the apple, of which I throw away later when clearing their trays.  Yes! it is Spring.  

This is also the time of year where I, admittedly, gain my weight.  A really bad timing on my circadian rhythms, but alas, it is true.I have every intention of going on a fruit and vegetable detox diet for a week.  However, if my mind is not set on it, it won't happen.  To watch people fight what they really want to order is quite amusing to me.  They know they want a broccoli cheddar bread bowl and a panini, but they won't let themselves have it, and  they instead order the salad or soup with the least calories.  Sometimes they are pleasantly surprised, but most times I throw out the rest of their food.  This gets me thinking a lot about the way I live my life, or try anyway.  

In an effort to improve my life, improving my eating habits, and becoming a "modern hippie," as John and I call it, we have come up with some basic ground rules when it comes to eating.


1.  Substitute healthier staples then what you grew up with (barley for rice, whole wheat for AP flour)
2.  Dress up already healthy things
3.  Let yourself splurge when you need to


Now, to be fair, sometimes I take number three a little too far.  But there are also times, when a big chocolate cookie does much more for my psyche than my body, and for that I am grateful.  Sometimes you just need it.  It's ok.  I certainly can't eat a healthy quinoa and bean pot every evening.  That would be boring.  And it is in this mindset that I present you with this chocolate mousse recipe!

Perfect Chocolate Mousse:
adapted from Julia Child's recipe


6 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
6 ounces unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup dark brewed coffee
4 large eggs, separated
2/3 cup, plus 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons dark rum
1 Tablespoon water
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract



1. Heat a saucepan one-third full with hot water, and in a bowl set on top, melt together the chocolate, butter and coffee, stirring over the barely simmering water, until smooth. Remove from heat.

2. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set aside.

3. In a bowl large enough to nest securely on the saucepan of simmering water, whisk the yolks of the eggs with the 2/3 cup of sugar, rum, and water for about 3 minutes until the mixture is thick, like runny mayonnaise. (You can also use a handheld electric mixer.)

3. Remove from heat and place the bowl of whipped egg yolks within the bowl of ice water and beat until cool and thick, as shown in the photo above. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks.

4. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with the salt until frothy. Continue to beat until they start to hold their shape. Whip in the tablespoon of sugar and continue to beat until thick and shiny, but not completely stiff, then the vanilla.

5. Fold one-third of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the remainder of the whites just until incorporated, but don’t overdo it or the mousse will lose volume.

6. Transfer the mousse to a serving bowl or divide into serving dishes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, until firm.

By the way, I also thought the idea of making a mousse would be daunting, but this was incredibly easy. Just follow the steps.