Cookie Recipes: Almond Meringue Crisps by Recipe Cottage

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	Almond Meringue Crisps

		3 oz/85g sliced almonds 5 oz/142g caster sugar 2 egg whites 1/8 tsp cream of tartar 1/8 tsp salt 1/2 tsp almond extract/essence 1 Tbsp icing sugar 6oz/170g plain (bittersweet) chocolate broken into 1.2oz/14g pieces 3.5 fluid oz/100ml double cream 1 tsp caster sugar 1 tsp unsalted butter Preheat oven to 325F/170C/Gas 3. Lightly toast almonds on a baking sheet in oven for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temp. Reduce oven temp to 225F/100F/ Gas 1/4 Coarsely process toasted almonds with 1oz/28g sugar into 1/8" size pieces and set aside until needed. Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Create meringue by whisking egg whites on medium speed with balloon whick until frothy (approx 1 min). Add cream of tartar and salt and increase speed to high until whites begin to stiffen, then gradually add 4oz/113g caster sugar. The egg whites should form peaks that are stiff but not dry. Add almond essence and whisk on high for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from mixer and using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped almonds and cornflour. Fill a piping bag (with no nozzle) with the meringue. Pipe 30 - 1.5" mounds of meringue onto the paper-covered baking sheets (~15 per sheet). Make an indentation into the centre of each meringue by dipping your thumb in some icing sugar and then into the centre of each meringue. Place meringues in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce temperature to 200F/100C/ Fas 1/4 and bake for an additional 2 hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 20 min before handling. While crisps are cooling, prepare ganache. heat 1" of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place the plain chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with cling film and allow to heat for 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir until smooth. Heat the double cream, 1 tsp of sugar and nbutter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a gentle boil. Pour boiling cream over the melted chocolate and stir until smooth. Transfer teh ganache from the boiler to a small stainless steel bowl. Cover wtih cling film and refrigerate until firm (~20min). Transfer ganache to a piping bag fitted with a medium sized star nozzle. Pipe approx. 1.5 tsp of ganache into the center of each almond meringue crisp.