Hacking Julia part II

(see previous post, referencing Le Suceès from Julia Child)

even when you have a recipe
that gives you exact measurements
there will be inconsistencies
as the ingredients will never be
exactly the same

the meringue layers

when grinding nuts in a blender
to make the nut flour
one has to be aware of the oil content
the praline pecans I used
this time
13 0z Trader Joe's
were quite oily
I compensated by adding more
confectioner’s sugar
to prevent clumping

to get the most volume
from your egg whites
they should be room temperature
beat 6 egg whites with
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
when whites form stiff peaks
beat in ½ cup fine granulated sugar
the carefully fold in the nut mixture
spoon out on to pans covered in
baking parchment
draw circles or other shapes
on one side of the paper
turn paper over
use this as a guide
to shape the meringue layers
three to five layers
bake in a 250 degree oven
for about 40 minutes
leave in the oven until the next day

pumpkin butter cream

there are two ways to make a butter cream
one is to cream butter and confectioner’s sugar
together and add flavoring
in this case pumpkin
with pumpkin pie spices
but
if you have the 6 egg yolks
left over from the meringue
you can make a pumpkin custard
and add butter
and confectioner’s sugar
until you have a mixture that is stiff enough
to hold its shape
also add vanilla and a bit of brandy
this version needs to be slightly chilled
to hold its shape

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman