Chocolate Mushrooms Recipes

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 C or Gas Mark 2) Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside. Place the egg whites in a medium mixing bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• 2. Add vanilla and cream of tartar to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form and the sugar is almost disolved. Spoon mixture int a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzel. (1/2 inch opening) Pipe about two thirds of meringue mixture into 1 1/2 diameter mounds about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. With the remaining meringue, pipe 1-inch tall bases about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets.
• 3. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until meringues just begin to brown. Turn off the oven. Let meringues dry in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes. Remove meringues from pans and transfer to wire rack to cool.
• 4. In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate. Spread a scant 1/2 teaspoon of melted chocolon the underside of each mushroom cap. Attach stems inserting top ends in the center of chocolate mixture, pressing gently into the mushroom cap. Let mushrooms dry upside down on racks until chocolate is set. To serve, sift combined confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder over tops of mushrooms.

Steps:

• Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper. Make a stiff meringue in the usual way with the egg whites, cream of tartar and the sugar.
• Use a piping bag and a plain 1cm nozzle pipe to make 24 rounds of meringue onto the baking paper sheets for the 'caps' of the mushrooms, and 24 oblonges approximately 4cm long for the 'stems' of the mushrooms.
• Bake at 110*C for approximately 1 hour, turn off oven and leave the meringues to cool.
• Melt the chocolate and copha together in a bowl over hot water. Carefully make a hole in the base of each mushroom cap for the stem. Spoon a little chocolate into each cap and place the stem into position. Leave on a cooling tray until the chocolate has hardened.
• Just before serving, sift a little cocoa over the mushrooms to give them an earthy look.