Hazelnut Meringue Mushrooms

These sweet, airy mushrooms add whimsy to an appetizer buffet and they make a fun gift. If you haven't worked with egg meringue before, begin by reading the Tips to guarantee your success.

Ingredients

¾ c. powdered sugar

¼ c. (1 ounce) finely ground toasted unskinned hazelnuts

2 tbsp. cornstarch

4 egg whites (see Tips)

2/3 c. granulated sugar

¼ tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 200° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Stir together the powdered sugar, hazelnuts, and cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Gradually beat in the granulated sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the powdered sugar mixture.

Transfer the meringue to a large pastry bag fitted with a ½-inch plain tip. To make the stems, pipe 18 dome shapes about ¾ inch wide at the bottom and 1 inch tall tapering to a point at the top. To make the mushroom caps, pipe 18 round half-sphere shapes about 1 ½ inches wide at the bottom and about ¾ to 1 inch tall onto the baking sheets. Use your fingers to smooth the tops of the caps, if necessary. Dust the stems and caps lightly with cocoa powder stirred through a very fine-meshed sieve.

Bake for about 2 hours, or until crisp and completely dry. Cool on the baking sheets on a wire rack. Gently remove the cookies from the paper.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.

Remove the pan from the heat. Using a small spoon, place a 3/4-inch-wide dollop of chocolate on the flat side of a mushroom cap. Use a sharp knife to trim the pointed tip from a mushroom stem so that it is flat. Attach a stem to the cap while the chocolate is soft; press gently. Place the mushroom, stem up, on a plate. Repeat to form the remaining mushrooms.

Refrigerate, uncovered, until the chocolate is set, about 20 minutes.

Variation

For quicker preparation, use the meringue to make "drop cookies." Simply drop the batter by tablespoons onto the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Advance Preparation

Store the completed mushrooms for up to 2 weeks in an airtight tin at room temperature.

YIELD: About 36