Fantasmas Dulces [Ghost Sweets]

I first saw these on 101 Cookbooks, but I've since seen them so many other places that I don't know who deserves the credit. All I know is that they amuse me every time I make them.

Mine are flavored with HerbSaint, an absinthe clone from Louisiana that imparts a nice anise flavor often found in Mexican baked goods. I even used anise seed for the eyes; their tiny stems look like wild eyebrows... which, of course, doesn't make sense. Why would a ghost have eyebrows?

I included my recipe after the jump but you should use whatever meringue recipe works for you. Some people go nuts about meringue specifics, but I've found they're not that fussy if you use enough sugar.

Recipe: Fantasmas Dulces [Ghost Sweets]
You can swap vanilla or almond extract for the Herb Saint. I've also made these with black sesame seeds, silver dragoons, or mini chocolate chips for the eyes.

Yield: ~36 ghosts
3 egg whites (room temperature)
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Herb Saint or Pernod
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup powdered sugar

anise seeds to garnish

Preheat oven to 225F. [Put your whites in your mixing bowl and leave them near the stove until they're room temp.] Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and fill a small bowl with anise seedsWhisk the two sugars together and set aside.

Add salt and liquor to whites. Using a whisk attachment, whip whites on low speed until foamy on top, ~1 minute. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form, ~45 seconds. With the machine running, pour in sugar in a steady stream. Once mostly combined, stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and whip again on high speed until stiff peaks form, ~45 seconds more. Spoon into a pastry bag [without a tip] or a gallon ziploc [cut a corner off the bag when you're ready].

Pipe ghost shapes as 3 stacked mounds. [imperfections = personality] Use your finger to place the eyes. Bake 1 hour, turn oven off, and leave for another 1-3 hours or until stiff to the touch. If it humid, transfer immediately to an airtight container.

Texas Pecans

I was going to do a post on my goat milk caramels (cajetas) but I hit a little snag on the second batch that I can't quite explain and I don't want to give bad instructions.

Instead, let me say that Texas pecans are fantastic: big, buttery, and amazing when toasted and added to baked goods or eaten straight out of the shell. [Pecans, a member of the hickory family, are the only tree nuts or drupes native to the US.] There's even a bakery around the corner from me here in Yankee Land that boasts about its use of Texas pecans, so they must be the best, right? The harvest is just coming in and you can get them cracked in the shell now through the beginning of January.

Cocoa Powder: Go Dutch

Things are a bit pricier in Yankee Land. I tried to be frugal when I replenished my pantry upon arrival, but I've since reaffirmed that some things are worth the price when you're dedicated to food that tastes as good as possible.
Case in point: A few weeks into our adventure, JG made the comment that the biscotti we always have around weren't quite as good as they used to be. I knew they weren't and I knew why: store-brand cocoa powder. Dutched cocoa powder has a much stronger chocolate flavor [due to an acid neutralization process created by a Dutch man] and gives baked goodies a deeper color.
It's a few dollars more than Hershey's or store brand, but a bag or box lasts a while -- even for me -- and if you're going to use it as a primary ingredient to bind a cake together, it's better if it tastes great. I would even choose a cheaper Dutched cocoa over a premium non-alkalized cocoa.
So there.