These are traditionally used to decorate yule logs, but are always popular in a basket by themselves.
You start with a basic meringue recipe, making sure it is very stiff.
You then fill a pastry bag fitted with a medium sized round tip (1/2") and you pipe the stems by lifting the bag upwards away from the cookie sheet.
Once you have filled one cookie sheet with the stems, prepare a second one and pipe the caps. You can change the pastry bag tip for a bigger one (but not essential). You leave the pastry bag close to the cookie sheet and push out the meringue until you have a sphere of an appropriate size. Do not worry if you have a little pointy tip, you can smooth it out with a finger dipped in water.
After smoothing down the caps, you sprinkle stems and caps with cocoa powder. And bake (dry) them slowly as per the meringue recipe.
Once they are dry and cooled you are ready to assemble them. With a serrated knife cut the pointy end of the stems to make them flat.
You then melt 6 oz of semi-sweet chocolate and you "glue" the stems to the caps with the chocolate.
Let them dry stem up in an egg carton.
And you have a nice crop of mushrooms.
0 servings