Rosé Meringue Cookies

What's better than a Freaky Friday recipe swap?  A Freaky Friday Virtual Holiday Cookie Exchange!  If you've been wondering what kind of treats to make for upcoming holiday festivities, here is your answer!  I've made the most wonderful Rosé Meringue Cookies, infused with Rosé wine, ideal for cookie trays and wine fans alike! What is Freaky Friday you ask?  It's a blog swap between myself and a lot of fabulous foodie friends.  We secretly cook and bake from one another's blogs and reveal our recipes on the same day.  This month we all chose a cookie or candy that would be delicious on a holiday cookie tray, just in time for your holiday baking... 

For this Freaky Friday swap, I chose a recipe from Mildly Meandering.  Madi is a student at Michigan State which absolutely amazes me that she has time to study English and manage a blog full of fabulous recipes at the same time.  When I was in college I could barely manage slice and bake cookies, let alone French Palmiers.  I ordered Domino's Pizza, and Madi is making Spinach Ricotta Gnudi.  So you can see she is an awesome young lady, and the rest of the bloggers in our group think she is pretty special.  She also has a hedgehog named Sir Humphrey Pricklemeister which I think is quite possibly the coolest pet name ever.  I was torn between all of the delicious baked goods on Madi's blog and then I ran across her Rosé Meringue Cookies.  Rosé wine is such a big trend right now, and it's something we always have on hand.  I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I make Rosé ice cubes and top them with Fresca.  We drink them on the patio and call them Porch Pounders.  

A "Porch Pounder" in my shatterproof Govino Wine Glass.
Perfect for the Patio!

So as you can see, I'm a little partial to Rosé.  The most interesting thing about this recipe is it only calls for 2 teaspoons of Rosé, but packs a true wine flavor.  If you've never had a meringue cookie, they are light, crisp and just a little sticky, similar to cotton candy.  Can you imagine Rosé flavored cotton candy?  Now imagine it in a sophisticated form, perfect for holiday gifting and entertaining.  I used just a bit of food coloring for the perfect pink color, and an icing tip that was reminiscent of a rose shape once I piped the cookie.  Only 4 ingredients to a gorgeous and delicious holiday treat.  These cookies will be the hit of any holiday cookie tray, because face it, any cookie that contains wine is the best cookie.

I love a recipe that is simple, but packs presentation.  These cookies are so cosmopolitan.  I'm excited to add them to my holiday menu.  I love the color variation from the traditional red and green.  Wouldn't these make a lovely gift with a bottle of Rosé wine?  Between Madi's wonderful recipes from Mildly Meandering, and all of the other participating bloggers, you are sure the find something tasty for your own cookie trays!          

I also have Rosé themed shoes.  I'm sensing a trend here.  Is it wrong when you enjoy wine so much you wear it on your feet?  Surely that isn't a problem is it?  We won't talk about that.  I'll just put on my favorite shoes, pour a glass of my favorite wine and bake a batch of my new favorite cookies!

Expressing the sentiments of tired bakers and holiday
shoppers every where!

Rosé Meringue Cookies

4 egg whites
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons Rosé wine
pink food coloring

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the egg whites until they are stiff peaks.  Slowly add in sugar and continue to whip until glossy.  Slowly fold in Rosé and food coloring.  Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip and pipe 2.5-inch diameter circles.  Start from the center of the circle and pipe around until the it is the proper diameter.  Bake for 1 hour or until the cookies can easily be removed from the parchment paper.  Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside for 2-3 hours.  This will help the cookie cool slowly and avoid cracking.

Prep Time:  Approximately 15minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 2 hours Yield: 12 cookies


Notes on Rosé Meringue Cookies:

*Do Not make these on a humid or rainy day.  It is difficult to achieve a crispy, dry cookie if it is wet out.
*Make sure to have a piping bag and correct tip on hand to achieve the Rose look.
*If the cookies aren't stiff and crisp after 1 hour of baking give them an additional 20-30 minutes to help harden.
*Use a biscuit cutter, or similar round shape to trace a circle onto the back side of the parchment paper.  This will give you a guide for piping your circles.
*Use a chip clip to keep the meringue mixture from running out the tip as you fill your piping bag. 

       

  Make sure to visit all of the participating blogs for this round of Freaky Friday:
   
An Affair from the Heart - Mocha Rum Balls
A Dish of Daily Life - Cherry Pie Cookies
A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures - Black Forest Rum Balls
Bacon Fatte - Mexican Wedding Cookies
The Devilish Dish - Rosé Meringue Cookies
The Foodie Affair - No Bake Cookie ~ Copycat Samoas
Full Belly Sisters - Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies
Hostess at Heart - Chocolate Caramel Cookie Bars
LeMoine Family Kitchen - Chocolate Chip Cookie Dippers
Life Currents - Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
Mildly Meandering - Vanilla Bean Pizzelle Cookies
Pic Nic - Lemon and Blueberry Bars
Plattertalk - White Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
Take Two Tapas - Savory Pecan Cornmeal Biscotti Bites
Seduction in the Kitchen - Orange Snowball Cookies
Who Needs a Cape? - Almond Raspberry Thumbprints  

   
















     

Cream of Green Chile Soup

My husband and I are what you would call Chile Heads.  We love anything with Hatch Green Chile.  We've had green chile wine, green chile peanut butter, and he's famous for his Green Chile Stew Recipe.  We try to get to New Mexico as often as we can, especially in late August and September during the Hatch Chile harvest.  Hatch, New Mexico is known as the "Chile Capitol of the World," most famous for growing New Mexico's State Vegetable: the New Mexico or green chile.  There's nothing quite like the smell of fresh green chiles turning in a chile roaster over an open flame.  We've been known to bring home garbage bags full.  I've been thinking about developing a Cream of Green Chile Soup for a long time.  I finally got around to creating it, and it was positively dreamy.  Light, but creamy in texture with the distinct flavor of roasted Hatch green chile.  I've never tasted anything quite like it.  My husband ate three bowls and exclaimed, "The only thing missing is a Monterrey Jack grilled cheese sandwich."  He's definitely onto something there.  Whether you're a Chile Head or a chile novice, this creamy, dreamy soup is a must make! 

Move over Greg's Famous Green Chile Stew,
make room for Candi's Cream of Green Chile Soup!

2 pounds of green chile deliciousness

Simmer the green chiles, onion and garlic with
chicken stock...

Puree until smooth, season with salt
and add heavy cream.

Enjoy New Mexico's most famous flavor!

Cream of Green Chile Soup

2 pounds roasted mild Hatch green chiles, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 large white onion, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic minced
4 cups chicken stock
1-2 cups heavy cream (depending on heat from chile)
Kosher salt to taste

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, saute onion in olive oil until soft and translucent.  Add garlic and saute one minute more.  Add the chopped green chiles and chicken broth.  Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook 20 minutes.  Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until very creamy.  Stir in cream.  Taste for seasoning and salt to taste.  Allow mixture to heat through and serve.

NOTE:  I used Hatch green chiles I had in my freezer.  I think this would be delicious with canned green chiles as well, but nothing beats that fresh roasted flavor.  If you have access to fresh green chiles in season, the definitely roast them fresh and use those.  Be sure to use the authentic Hatch green chile.  There's nothing that compares to the flavor!  I used 1.5 pounds of mild chiles and 1/2 pound of a particularly HOT batch. I wound up using the entire 2 cups of cream, but next time I will make the soup with all mild chiles, and go with 1 cup for a stronger chile flavor.

Prep Time:   Approximately 10 minutes     Cook Time:  Approximately 20 minutes