1. I love this short video from the weekend when I made lemon buttermilk cupcakes filled with foraged violets with Vanessa from krrb.com. The violets came from urban foraging — a charming way to say I live in the city and collect small wild finds. They add a delicate floral note to the cupcakes that makes them visually special and delicious.
- 1a. I gave my hair and makeup team the weekend off, so please excuse my awkward growing-out bangs. It’s a real phase — growing out bangs takes patience.
- 1b. The cupcakes were fantastic. If you’re planning a tea party, these are a lovely choice: floral, pretty, and tasty.
2. Today is Wednesday, April 25 — the second-to-last day to vote in Saveur’s Best Food Blog Awards. If you haven’t voted yet, you have until tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. (ET).
3. Creamsicles are my summer obsession, so I’m fast-forwarding past spring and thinking straight about warm-weather treats. Want to join me?
Meringue cookies are an underused gem in my baking repertoire. Every time I make them, I wish I made them more often instead of letting egg whites go to waste. Crumbled over ice cream with fresh berries, they’re perfect. They also pair beautifully with recipes that use egg yolks — for instance, if you make grapefruit curd for a tea party and have extra whites left over, you’re already partway to these cookies.
To start, heat egg whites, sugar, and vanilla seeds in a bowl set over barely simmering water until the sugar dissolves.
Whip the mixture until it becomes a soft, glossy cloud. Then fold in bright orange zest for fresh citrus flavor.
Kitchen tip: dab a bit of meringue in each corner of the baking sheet and press the parchment down. This prevents the paper from sliding when you pipe the cookies.
Using a pastry bag might seem intimidating, but it does most of the work and makes the cookies look beautiful. Once you try it, you’ll see how easy and satisfying piping can be.
For a swirled creamsicle effect, paint three thin stripes of food coloring inside the pastry bag before filling. Try lemon zest with yellow coloring or pink grapefruit with pink coloring for different looks.
Pipe small swirls onto the prepared sheet and bake low and slow. The longer, gentler bake helps the meringues dry out and become crisp and delicate.
Swirled Creamsicle Meringues
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Ingredients:
3 egg whites, room temperature
3/4 cup (160 grams) sugar
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
Large pinch of salt
Large pinch of cream of tartar
1 teaspoon orange zest
Preheat the oven to 200°F (about 93°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla seeds. Set the bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water and heat for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
Remove the bowl from the heat, dry the bottom, and add the salt and cream of tartar. Beat on high speed for about 7 minutes, until soft, glossy peaks form and the mixture has cooled slightly. Fold in the orange zest.
Using a small, clean paintbrush, paint three thin stripes of food coloring on the inside of a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip. Dab a bit of the meringue in each corner of the baking sheet to secure the parchment. Fill the bag and pipe small swirls onto the sheet.
Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the meringues are crisp on the outside. Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serving suggestion: crumble these over creamsicle sherbet for an extra bursts of citrusy crunch.