I feel like I need a disclaimer here. The following post is not sponsored by a single vegetable. In fact, we could argue that there is not a single bit of nutrition in the following. However, I made these cookies because I had leftover egg whites, because I had too many a wonderful gift of lemons, and in cooking with the lemons I used up a bunch of egg yolks. So it is like the illegitimate child of the produce box. I don't know if that makes the connection tighter or not, but there you go. Plus, they just so happen to be gluten free. So if that is a concern, these are a bonus that way too. Plus, they can't possibly burn. Plus, if you read all the way to the bottom here, you will find out how this connects to Easter. If you want it to. So not only is it not at all very loosely tied to vegetables, it is also very loosely tied to a holiday that you may or may not celebrate and isn't happening for a couple of weeks. In other words, with all of these pluses, why wouldn't I publish the recipe here?
On we go.
As an ongoing part of digging to the bottom of Mount Lemon, I made another batch of lemon curd this week. This time, though, I felt a wee bit guilty about tossing out seven egg whites. Instead, I made a couple of batches of meringue cookies. In case you feel the same, here are the directions:
Before you do anything, pre-heat your oven to 300. Then, separate 3 egg whites. Put them, along with a pinch of salt, in your mixer, and beat the heck out 'em, until they have teeny tiny little bubbles and start to just form peaks (a few minutes). Once you have reached that point, gradually pour in a cup of sugar, and then add a teaspoon of white vinegar. Continue beating this all for another few minutes, until the mixture is forming stiff peaks.
Once the batter is forming peaks, turn the mixer off, and gently fold in a cup of crushed pecans.
Now, take the mixture and dollop it out on a cookie sheet that is covered in parchment paper.
Pop this into the oven, close the door, and turn the oven off. That's it! Leave them there until morning, and they will be dried, light, and a beautiful pure white. Pure white with little brown flecks of pecan, that is.
And now, as promised, what the heck this has to do with Easter.
Some folks like to do this recipe with their kids the night before Easter, and follow the story here. Thataway, when the cookies come out of the tomb oven the next morning, they represent the risen Christ. I myself don't like to confuse things by having my kids go to bed depressed, and wake up to stuff Jesus down their gullets along with chocolate bunnies and boiled eggs. But I can see where some would.
