Meringue Meltdown

"M" is for My Meringue Meltdown or My Misadventures in Meringue Making"

I set out to duplicate a cute ice cream cone made with pretty meringues that I had seen in the February 2010 issue of the magazine Better Homes and Gardens.  Yes, I know all the rage is French Macarons with almond flour, but I wanted to make meringues.  I could have used store-bought meringues like they did in the magazine article, but NO I attempted to make my own!  My daughter Tati made meringues with little trouble which you can see here.  This was her first attempt and they turned out wonderfully. 

Armed with a similar recipe to Tati's, I made my first attempt.  They turned out wonderfully and I was so thrilled to see their heighth and their FEET -- that is the bottom part of the meringue.  Feat (feet) accomplished! 

So I assembled the pink meringues into a beautiful ice cream cone. 

 So I thought, "I would like to make some more meringues in a beautiful pale yellow shade."  THEN THINGS IN THE KITCHEN BEGAN TO GET UGLY!

So here is my beautiful second attempt at meringues.  My husband walked in the room and said "WHAT happened to those?"













So obsessed with achieving perfection, I altered the recipe and procedures a bit and began MY THIRD attempt in one day of meringues.  My lovely husband looked at those and said, "They are a little flat!" Thank you for that information!  I am surprised he didn't pick one up and throw it like a Frisbee!




Yes, I AM a slow learner!  But still not undaunted by failure and still somewhat encouraged by my first attempt, I began (yes, it is still the same day!) my fourth attempt.  You may need a hankie when you see these! My beautiful and accomplished sister in food blogging traitorous daughter remarked that they would be cool if you were giving a birthday party about the desert!!  Think dry ground crackled by lack of water.  We did give a "Holes" birthday party once for my son.  "Too bad we didn't have these cookies for that party!" I thought to myself in a very snarky voice!

Now, it has become an obsession and I make my fifth attempt.  Why not go back to the yellow buttery look.  By then, I am NOT even watching them in the oven.  I have slumped away from the kitchen and am consoling myself in blogland.  My girls are still in the kitchen and they tell me that at least they are NOT cracked this time!  Can you look at these and NOT see cracks!!!!













So by then it was time to go to my son's soccer game.  No I did NOT miss my son's game!  I controlled my obsessive behavior and went to his game and DID NOT make any more attempts to make meringues that day.  I think five times was enough!

I was consoling myself that at least sugar and eggs, the main ingredients in meringues, were cheap.  I expressed to my husband that at least I had not tried to make French Macarons because they are more expensive to make because of the almond flour.  His very kind unkind remark was that, "Well, at least the failures would taste good!"  I tell you!  I get no respect in the kitchen!

The weird and sad thing is that I couldn't tell you what I did different in the first attempt that made the first meringues turn our right!  I am kindly not giving you the recipe!  WHAT...did you want it?

I am participating at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe-Thursday where the letter of the week is "M."  You can join in on more "M" fun by clicking on the logo below.