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Thursday, December 26, 2013

Blue Meringues

Our chaotic, but good-hearted friends, called late on Christmas Eve to invite us to dinner on Christmas Day. It was mentioned that they didn't have a plan for dessert. No obligation, of course, but if I thought of a solution it would be welcomed. Hmm?
Shops were closed up tight for the Holidays, so I was left to rummage through my cupboard and refrigerator for ideas. If I'd had more apples, I could have made an apple crumble, but I didn't.
I had an epiphany when I looked at the egg carton. I'd make meringues.
Beating egg-whites; folding in sugar; simple but sticky phases on the road to a pile of satiny, lightly colored clouds of sweetness.
What I had completely forgotten and was reminded by Lovely Daughter, who had graced us with her presence, was that each Halloween of her younger days, I had made a tradition of baking Blue-Meringues.
Last night's meringues were of a more natural hue. I made whipped cream and a Brandy Butter with a slight mandarin orange zest and some inclusions of little crumbles of Heath crunchy toffee bar.
Lest the sweetness be overpowering, all was served with a dab of mandarin marmalade on the side.

18 comments:

  1. That sounds delicious....I have a load of egg whites left over from custard and mandarins in the garden so guess what will be cooking tomorrow!

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  2. As our granddaughter might say, "Yummy, yummy. In my tummy!"

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  3. Helen, enjoy the fruits of your labors and the sugary smells that will permeate your home.

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  4. Sounds very delicious! I'm sure everyone enjoyed this treat.

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    1. Grey Horse, part of the pleasure is that a meringue really must be picked up and bitten into. The crumbly sugary experience makes kids of all of us.

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  5. A splendiferous idea ER, a little bit of ingenuity can certainly go a long way.

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    1. Chef, my Mum was the best hostess and cook. I have standards to which to aspire.

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  6. Ooooh, I love meringues! Every year my church has a mission dinner...we pay for a sumptuous gourmet dinner and everything is donated so all the money goes to mission charities. One of the desserts is a meringue with fresh fruit and whipped cream. I cannot describe the deliciousness!! Yours sound as wonderful.

    Glad your Christmas joy was shared, even if it was at the last minute.

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    1. Jean, I love the sound of your gourmet dinner that feeds body and soul.

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  7. Lovely, but I was so hoping they'd be blue...

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    1. Frances, now that I've been reminded, watch this space. I may well go blue for Halloween in 2014.
      I used to make plates of green mashed potato into faces, with bacon hair too.

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  8. They sound heavenly ... and now you can enjoy some lovely soothing egg custard as you recover from Christmas .

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    1. S&S, we made a rich butternut squash soup with the egg yolks and cream to finish it off.

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  9. I can't quite get my palate to take to meringue but I wanted to wish you all the happiness, health and joy in the new year!
    Wiola

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    1. Wiola, store bought meringues are a bit like sweetened plaster of paris. I agree.
      I can't wait to follow your achievements in 2014.

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