Dessert Meringue Mushrooms
Description
These dessert mushrooms look so real, they could be mistaken for real mushrooms. They are typically served with Bouche de Noel, which is a French chocolate jelly roll cake.
Ingredients
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 t. cream of tartar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 t. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Directions
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Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Arrange oven racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
Place the egg whites and cream of tartar in the clean, dry bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment; whisk on medium speed until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high, gradually add 1/2 c. sugar about 1 T. at a time; whisk until stiff peaks form.
Remove bowl from mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in remaining 1/4 c. sugar. Transfer meringue to a 12- to 18-inch pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round piping tip pastry bag.
Pipe the stems and caps of the mushrooms: Pipe half of the meringue into pointed “kisses” about 1 inch high to make the stems on one of the prepared baking sheets. (No worries if tips bend over or sag.) Pipe remaining meringue into domes to make mushroom caps on the 2nd baking sheet (make sure there are an equal number of stems and caps).
Place cocoa powder in a fine-mesh strainer; lightly dust over stems and caps. Fan or blow on the cocoa powder vigorously to blur it and give the mushrooms a realistic look.
Place both baking sheets in the oven. Bake until meringues are crisp and completely dry, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through, about 2 hours.
Remove baking sheets to wire racks; let cool completely. If not assembling the mushrooms immediately, store cooled caps and stems in an airtight container to prevent them from becoming moist and sticky.
Mushroom Assembly: Place chocolate in a small bowl set directly in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Immediately turn off heat; stir the chocolate until melted and smooth.
Use a sharp knife to cut 1/4 inch - 1/2 inch from the tip of each stem to create a flat surface. Using a knife, generously coat the flat side of several mushroom caps with melted chocolate. Allow chocolate to partially set, about 2 minutes.
Attach the flat cut surface of the stems to the chocolate; repeat with remaining stems and caps. Set the assembled mushrooms aside until chocolate has hardened, caps and stems are firmly attached, and mushrooms have completely cooled.
40 servings.
Store mushrooms at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.