Hazelnut Meringues
(“Spumetti”
or “Little Foamies”)
Adapted from Nick Malgieri (who adapted these from Richard Sax)
By Blue Heron Kitchen
Any
formal training I have, I attribute to Peter Kump’s cooking school. Nick
Malgieri steered the pastry department and mentored my teacher, with whom I
opened a wholesale bakery. I never took a class with Nick, but he was always
around. I once heard him gossiping about Maida Heatter. He intimated that she’d
hit bottom because she published a cookie book. It wasn’t too long after that
his (great) cookie book came out. Why will I never forget this?
Nick’s
published recipes are reliable; but all of his recipes at Kump’s were perfect.
More, I learned what I consider a wonderful ‘method’. When Peter Kump died, the
school closed, relocated to the Flatiron district and re-opened under new
management and name, “ICE”, the Institute of Culinary Education. I’ve never
taken a class there, but many of the instructors are still the same and Nick is
still head of the Pastry division. Check it out if you’re interested in “pro”,
“avo” or just a single class. You’ll receive excellent instruction.
This
recipe comes from his “Cookies Unlimited” book. These are perfect for your
Easter dessert table. If you’re unorthodox about Passover ingredients, and can
live with using 10X (confectioner’s) sugar, these are a nice change from the
‘same old’ macaroons. They’re a mixture of chocolate, cinnamon and hazelnut. Meringenius.
When
they emerge from the oven, the texture is sponge-like (“little foamies”.) As they set up, they don’t stay sponge-like. The cocoa/cinnamon will bitter if they're too well done, so don't over-bake them, thinking they'll set up better and "de-sponge" if you bake them longer. They won't. They'll bitter-up.
And
don’t be deceived by the cartoonish name. Little foamies are for grown-ups.
Avere
una dolce primavera, una felice Pasqua e una dolce Pesach.
peace
and love,
jane
Ingredients:
6
oz. hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed
1
cup 10X (confectioners’) sugar
3
Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Valrhona.)
¼
tsp. ground cinnamon (make sure it’s fresh!)
3
egg whites, size large, room temperature
pinch
of kosher salt
Procedure:
Preheat
oven to 350º F. Rack in upper and lower third of oven.
If
you need to skin the hazelnuts, place on jelly roll pan and toast them for 5-8
minutes until skins are brown. Put hazelnuts in a rough tea towel and rub them
rigorously. The skins will come away from the nuts. Any skins that don’t –
don’t sweat it.
Line
a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
Coarsely
chop hazelnuts. You can use a food processor. Or you can do this by hand. I
have a hand nut grinder and grind them on the “coarse” setting.
Sift
together: ¼ cup of the 10X sugar, the cinnamon and the cocoa powder and set
aside.
In
the bowl of an electric mixer (Take care that there is no fat in the bowl or on
the whisk, or your whites won’t come up to a meringue. Similarly, if any yolk
comes into the white when you separate your eggs, dump that egg. It will ruin
the meringue.) beat the three egg whites until foamy. Add a pinch of salt (be
generous) and continue to beat until they begin to stiffen.
One
tablespoon at a time, add the remaining ¾ of a cup of 10X until you have a
stiff meringue.
Remove
from the stand and by hand, fold in the sifted mixture of 10X, cocoa and
cinnamon until fully incorporated. Be patient.
Fold
in the hazelnuts.
By
tablespoonful, drop onto cookie sheets.
Bake
for approximately 20 minutes, half way through, rotate sheets, top to bottom,
front to back.
These
will still be soft and spongy when you remove them from the oven.
Cool
completely and then store the macaroons between sheets of parchment or waxed
paper in a container with a tight fitting cover.
Yield:
approx. 30 cookies
