Week 12 - Meringue Mushrooms

These were super fun to make! I saw the recipe in my book animmedietly knew I wanted to make these for a friend of mine who LOVES Meringue's and HATES Mushrooms. I've made meringues before, but never like this so it was a fun challenge.

Making and piping the meringue was straight forward, I mean its only two ingreadients! It took a bit of practice to get the shapes down and I didn't space the stems far enough apart so it made it tricky when I was putting on the caps. The one thing I struggled with was waiting until the caps were baked just enough to pick them up and put them on the stems. I don't think my oven was hot enough and it took half an hour, not 10 minutes. However once I had waited long enough, they went onto the stems so easy and fused with the lower piece.

When I make these again, I might try some different sizes and shapes to the caps but I can't think of any improvements I could make. The final result was a sweet treat with a soft crunch. The favour was like a toasted marshmallow and I have been told by my friend they were the best mushrooms she's ever had!

Final Rating: 10/10

Ingredients

4 egg whites
1 1/4  cups sugar
Unsweetened cocoa powder for sifting

Special Equipment

A candy thermometer
A pastry bag
A medium plain tip

Makes about 30

Preheat the oven to 175℉. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl set over a saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, combine the egg whites and sugar. Begin whisking and which until the mixture turns white and registers 122℉ on a candy thermometer.

Remover bowl from the heat and continue beating with a handheld mixer until the meringue cools completely. It will now be fully firm. Spoon the meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a plain medium tip. Pipe small pointy balls on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 min. Remove the stems from the oven and leave the oven on.

Meanwhile, prepare the caps. Pipe small, flat balls on the second prepared baked sheet, lightly pressing with the tip. Prepare as many caps as you have stems. Sift cocoa powder over the caps and bake for 10 to 15 min. Remove the caps from the oven and leave the oven on.

Make a small hollow in the base of the caps with a small knife. Carefully place them over the stems, pressing lightly. Finish assembling the remaining mushrooms and bake for 1 hour or until they are completely dried.