Scarlett WLight Kisses
November 23rd 2006 15:58
Light Kisses
About Light Kisses
Chocolate provides a welcome counterpoint to the sweetness of the meringue. Ideally, leave meringues in the oven overnight so the small foamy bubbles can dry out thoroughly.
About Couverture
"Couverture" is a special type of chocolate used in patisserie and confectionery, which flows more readily than the type of chocolate found in candy bars. The consistency you need will depend on what you are using it for, such as covering cakes or coating candies. For many uses, couverture must be melted first, then tempered. When it is heated (the temperature must never exceed 104ºF), couverture loses its binding properties. The sugar, cocoa solids, and cocoa butter separate. Tempering binds them together again, and the couverture returns to its original state: hard chocolate with a lovely sheen.
About Tempering Small Quantities of Couverture
Cut the couverture into small pieces and melted, but the maximum temperature is 104ºF. About half of the melted couverture is poured onto a marble or stainless steel slab and worked with a palette knife or spatula until it begins to set. It is then returned as quickly as possible to the rest of the warm couverture. Speed is of the essence, as only a short time elapses between thickening and solidifying. If the couverture as a whole is not cool enough – below 86 ºF, the point at which couverture begins to thicken – the procedure has to be repeated. The cooled couverture must then be carefully reheated until it reaches 89 ºF. This is the mean temperature at which the couverture is sufficiently viscous to be worked easily. The temperature range for working lies between 86 and 91 ºF. Below these temperatures, the couverture thickens and dries with a matt surface; above these temperatures, the cocoa butter separates from the cocoa solids, and the couverture has to be tempered again.
INGREDIENTS
Makes about 30
For the meringue paste
5 egg whites
1¾ cups confectionery’s’ sugar
pinch of salt
For the nougat kisses
1 recipe Meringue Paste
10 oz dark hazelnut or almond nougat
1 lb tempered couverture
pistachios, chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 125 ºF. To make the meringue paste, in a completely grease-free bowl, mix the egg whites, the confectionery’s sugar and salt.
2. Take a saucepan large enough to hold the bowl and fill with water to a level that will not overflow when the bowl is placed in it. Heat the water.
3. Whip the egg whites over the hot water until stiff.
4. As soon as the mixture starts to feel warm – 104-122 ºF – remove from the heat and whip slowly until cold. If using a hand mixer, use medium.
5. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Pipe the meringue using a star tip; drop the paste onto the parchment paper.
6. Bake for at 8 hours, leaving the door slightly ajar for the steam to escape.
7. To make the nougat kisses, melt the dark hazelnut of almond nougat over hot water, cool to 86 ºF.
8. Spoon it into a paper pastry bag. Pipe nougat onto half of the meringue drops and cover with the other half.
9. Dip the tops in tempered couverture; you will use about half the couverture, but the full amount is needed to make dipping easy.
10. Place on parchment paper and sprinkle with chopped pistachios.
**From “The Chocolate Bible” and “Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia”**
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