Meringue Cookies

Still have plenty of egg whites after making panettone, I decided to make something sweet and light for my kids. This cookies brings back my childhood memories.

Meringue Cookies
source : Joy of Baking

Ingredients :
3 large egg whites (3 ounces or 90 grams)
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup (150 grams) superfine or caster sugar (if you don't have superfine sugar simply take granulated white sugar and process it for about 30-60 seconds in a food processor)
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions :
Meringue Cookies: Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and place the rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. You can form the cookies with a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) plain tip, or I often just use two spoons to make the cookies.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat, on medium-high speed, until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Note: The meringue is done when it holds stiff peaks and when you rub a little between your thumb and index finger it does not feel gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers.

Before placing the cookies on the cookie sheet, place a little of the meringue on the underside of each corner of the parchment paper. This will prevent the paper from sliding. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) tip. Pipe 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) rounds of meringue in rows on the prepared baking sheet. Alternatively, spoon mounds of meringue, using two spoons, onto the prepared sheets. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with a few shaved almonds, if desired.

Bake the meringues for approximately 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, rotating the baking sheet from front to back (about half way through) to ensure even baking. The meringues are done when they are pale in color and fairly crisp. (The meringues will release easily from the parchment paper.) Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, and leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying several hours or overnight. The meringues can be covered and stored at room temperature for several days.

Makes about 10 - 2 1/2 inch (6 cm) meringues

KBB #19 : Hip Hip Horayy!! Happy 3rd Birthday!

Hip hip Horay! Happy birthday buat KBB. Gak kerasa udah 3 tahun usianya dan udah hampir 3 tahun pula gue ikutan gabung. Banyak banget ilmu perbakingan yang gue dapet dari klub ini, belum lagi jalinan pertemanan yang sangat akrab, walopun banyak di antara kita yang belum pernah saling bertemu. Semoga ke depannya KBB makin eksis dan temen-temen tetep semangat ngerjain tantangan dan berbagi ilmu-ilmunya *group hugs*.

Awalnya bingung mau bikin apa? Akhirnya diputuskan bikin yang pas gue absen aja. Walaupun sebenernya udah pernah juga bikin lattice pie tapi seringnya yang manis. Sekalian bikin buat bekal mbak Arwen, jadilah gue bikin Creamy Chicken Pie (Puff Pastry-nya beli jadi aja deh ya, gak sanggup bikin sendiri ditongkrongin Neo...hahaha). Sebenernya bikin chicken pie ini sampe 2 kali. Yang pertama salah beli pastry...main samber aja dari fridge di SPM...lah kok taunya Fillo Pastry *dudul*. Kalo mau coba bikin classic puff pastry sendiri (gampang loh), bisa liat resepnya di sini.



Ini resep isian ayamnya :

Creamy Chicken
Bahan :
3 potong dada ayam
oregano
3 bawang putih, geprek
2sdm butter untuk menumis
bawang bombai
daging asap
2sdm tepung terigu
100ml air kaldu rebusan ayam
50ml whipped cream cair
keju parut secukupnya

Cara membuat :
1. Rebus ayam dengan bawang putih dan oregano sampai matang. Angkat, dinginkan, suwir-suwir.
2. Tumis bawang putih dan bawang bombay hingga wangi, masukkan daging ayam suwir dan daging asap. Bumbui dengan pala bubuk, merica dan garam secukupnya.
3. Masukkan tepung terigu, aduk-aduk hingga rata, siram dengan air kaldu. Tuang whipped cream cair. Aduk rata.
4. Taburi keju parut, aduk lagi hingga merata. Sisihkan dan siap digunakan.



Setelah bikin Chicken Pie, lah kok malah ketagihan pengen bikin yang lain-lain yang pernah jadi tantangan KBB. Gak sengaja liat status Riana Pennylane lagi ngomongin Lemon Cake...jiyahhh gue latah pengen bikin Lime/Lemon Meringue Pie. Dikomporin pulak sama beliau. Ya sut...yuk mari brangkat!! Akhirnya bikin pie crust-nya pake resep dari tantangan Banoffee Pie. Isi lime curd-nya hasil googling. Meringue-nya pake resep tantangan Chocolate Swirl Meringue (tapi gue modified).



Lime Curd
source : All Recipes
(resep aslinya pake lemon, gue ganti lime)



Ingredients :
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, juiced and zested (dita - I used 3 limes)
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten

Directions :
To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.

Terus yang ketiga, rencana awalnya cuman pengen bikin kue sus...lah kok terus pengen bikin Paris Brest...eaaa.....jadilah nguplek di dapur bikin PB. Resep Paris Brest silahkan tengok di sini.



Sekali lagi....Happy Birthday KBB. Kompak terus ya!

French Macarons, Foodie Tag & Father's Day

Macaron adalah cemilan ringan khas Prancis. Terbuat dari campuran putih telur, bubuk almond dan gula. Rasanya seperti meringue atau shjumpes (gitu bukan yak nulisnya?). Tapi kalo macaron, cara penyajiannya adalah dengan dioles ganache/jam, kemudian disatukan seperti sandwich. Buat yang gak doyan manis, mending gak usah nyobain deket-deket :P.


My First and Second Attempt

Membuat Macaron tidak sesimple kalo kita membayangkan campuran bahan-bahannya yang cuman terdiri dari putih telur, bubuk almond dan gula. It's very tricky kalo gak mau end up kayak macaron gue :P. French Macaron yang sukses adalah yang mempunyai permukaan shiny dan memiliki kaki. Eh, jangan dibayangin kaki yang buat jalan ya, kaki di sini maksudnya adalah retakan di bagian bawah yang terlihat seperti pondasi kue. Silahkan mempir ke dapurnya Arfi dan Zita kalo mau liat penampakan French Macaron yang sukses trus bandingin sama FM gue yang gagal ;). Teman-teman lain yang menyusul sukses membuat FM adalah Yuli, emak Rita dan Ayu.

Sebenernya sejak tantangan KBB ke-4, waktu membuat Chocolate Swirl Meringues, gue udah tertarik untuk bikin French Macaron, tapi belum nemu-nemu almond powdernya.

Nah, kebetulan beberapa minggu yang lalu Arfi posting soal French Macaron-nya yang gagal, gue jadi tergerak lagi untuk nyoba. Sambil mengisi kekosongan waktu di KBB yang memang lagi gak ada tantangan, akhirnya secara informal gue mengajak (baca:menantang) temen-temen yang mau menaklukkan FM. Ternyata responsnya cukup positif, banyak juga yang ketantang :D (buat yang udah posting soal FM please tukeran link ke gue ya, supaya bisa gue link di post ini).


My Third Attempt

Bisa dibilang ribuan resep berkeliaran di Google. Dari yang basic sampe yang rada njelimet *basicnya aja gagal muluk, gimana yang cara advance? :P*. Beberapa nominasi resep udah gue kantongin, diantaranya dari David Lebovitz, Martha Stewart, Epicurious, A la Cuisine, Helen of Tartelette, Andrew My Flickr Friend sampe yang a la Mercotte yang lebih njelimet, dan tentunya gak lupa ubek-ubek YouTube. Semua resep dah dipelototin dan dicerna dengan baik *kalo masih gagal brarti gak dicerna dengan baik dwong!*

Gue sudah mencoba bikin sebanyak 4 kali, 3 pertama gak berkaki dan gak mengkilap permukaannya, yang ke-4? Walah gak usah ditanya, malah ancur lebur :D (update : udah bikin 9 kali and semuanya end up di tong sampah! Kampret!).

Dari metodenya Helen yang paling dasar sampe metode yang almond-nya dijadiin paste dulu pake campuran putih telur dan gula, udah gue jabanin, tinggal metode Italian Meringue aja yg belom gue coba, gak brani soalnya gak punya termometer candy buat ngukur cairan panas gulanya (update : akhirnya udah nyoba juga pake metode Italian Meringue dan gagal jugak). Sementara konon, membuat FM ini ukuran harus presisi, gak boleh ngasal.

Tips lain, supaya FM berkaki adalah pada saat mengaduk campuran almond-gula ke meringue, gak boleh terlalu sebentar tapi juga gak boleh terlalu lama dan semangat, soalnya nanti adonannya bakal encer banget. Sementara itu mengkilatnya permukaan didapat dari pengocokan putih telur yang sampe stiff peak, inget ya harus kaku banget. Kesalahan gue juga, 4 kali bikin, gue susah banget dapet stiff peak, mungkin ini sebabnya kenapa FM gue gak pernah mengkilat. Selain itu, 4 kali bikin gue dapet telur yang gak fresh terus, keliatan dari tekstur putih telurnya yang udah gak terlalu bening *udah tau gitu masih nekad aja! Namanya juga penasaran!*. Yang perlu diingat juga, kalo kerja dengan putih telur, semua alat harus bebas lemak, kesat bersih ya. Kalo bowl dan whiskernya kotor, jangan harap bisa dapet stiff peak (kayaknya ini juga sebabnya kenapa putih telur gue susah naiknya, padahal sempet juga bowlnya gue oles air jeruk nipis).

Terus terang gue masih penasaran, tapi apa daya, almond powder dan telur abis. Dalam seminggu, gue tuh yang ngabis-ngabisin telur :P 4 hari berturut-turut.

Buat yang mau nyoba dan merasa tertantang, boleh dishare sama gue biar kita bisa tukeran link :).

Yang gue post ini adalah resep basic dari Helen of Tartelette yang ada di dessertmag, Andrew juga ngasih resep yang hampir sama, hanya beda di takaran.

"Fear no more, Helen of Tartelette wrote a detailed article with step-by-step recipe and photos on the second issue of Desserts Magazine. She demystified the making of macarons."

3 (100g) egg whites
50g granulated sugar=2 sdm
200g confectioners' sugar=2 cup
110g blanched almonds, whole or ground=1/2 cup

1. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites to a foam, gradually add the sugar until you obtain a glossy meringue.

2. Combine the almonds and powdered sugar in a food processor and give them a quick pulse if you use already ground almonds (that you have ground ground yourself separately.) It will break the powdered sugar lumps and combine your almonds with it evenly. If you use whole almonds, pulse thoroughly for a minute or so.

3. Add them to the meringue and start to give quick strokes at first to break the mass and slow down. The whole process should not take more than 50 strokes. Test a small amount on a plate: If the tops flatten on its own, you are good to go. If there is a small beak, give the batter a couple more folds.

4. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip with the batter and pipe a small rounds (1.5 inches in diameter) onto parchment paper baking sheets.

5. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Let the macarons sit out for an hour to harden their shells a bit and bake for 10-13 minutes, depending on their size. Let them cool completely before filling.

6. Pipe or spoon some of your filling on one shell and sandwich with another one.

After the first few folding strokes necessary to start incorporating the ingredients, divide your batter into 3 equal amounts. Keep one third plain, add 2 tsps sifted matcha powder to another one, and 1 Tablespoon red powdered food coloring to the last one.

Proceed with the rest of the recipe, following the folding guidelines explained above.

Sprinkle crushed toffee on the plain shells right after they were piped.

For the fillings, use a white chocolate ganache for the matcha macarons, a toffee bittersweet chocolate ganache for the plain ones and a white chocolate raspberry ganache for the red ones.

Bittersweet Toffee Ganache:
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup crushed toffee

In a heavy saucepan set over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Remove from the stove and add the chocolate to it. Let stand 2 minutes and then stir until fully combined. Let cool until firm enough to put in a small piping bag.

For the White Chocolate Raspberry Ganache:
1 1/2 cup white chocolate 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup good quality raspberry jam

Heat the cream until hot. Drop the chocolate and jam into the cream and stir until all are melted and come together. Let cool until firm enough to pipe or spoon onto the macaron shells.

For the white Chocolate Ganache:

Proceed as for the one above, minus the raspberry jam.
(Recipe courtesy of Helen, Tartelette)

I will take a break for a while for the French Macarons things until next week.

I've been tagged for top 10 food pics by Arfi of Homemades. I don't think I have the best pics, but I have my favourite ones.

Talking about photography...uummmmm..... I lived with that. My dad is a photographer. I spent my childhood in his lab and darkroom sometimes. I have my own camera at 4 :). My brother, not a pro (yet), but he invested in the expensive equipment. He likes experimenting. And I learn a lot from him.


My First Camera, Ricoh 500 GX and Arwen

When I was in college, I made money with my dad's camera. I took a portrait pics or wedding pics and then people paid me.

Then I got married (my husband loves photography too) and I began to love cooking and baking, and food photography became a part of my life. I love taking foodie pics, arranging the foods, styling the foods and playing with the natural light. I'm not a pro, I'm just an amateur. Just look at my lil'"studio" :) with my girls as assistances. I'm a DIY minded person, I have my DIY bouncer, I use my DIY lighting box sometimes. I don't have fancy photography stuff, I use my old DLSR canon eos series but I invested in the lenses.


My "studio" and my assistances

My husband and I take camera everywhere we go. We are join Now Public as a contributor, as we believe of the power of citizen journalism. Yes, camera is a part of our everyday life.

Thanks to Flickr and Blog, now I have so many talented friends with the same interest. Some become my best buddies. I learn a lot from them. Me and my friend Rita moderate the Indonesian Baking Club (founder : Arfi)Food Photography Club on Flickr, if you have the same interest (in food photography) and seriously want to learn about Food Photography, feel free to join.

And know I would like to passing the baton to my friends :
Elsye
Vania
Mindy
Eliza
Alessandro
Patricia

For my dad, I dedicated my top 10 foodie pics for you.
Happy Father's Day! I love you and thanks for everything.

































































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