TIERED
MERINGUE TREE
Shown
above
and on
page 104.
3
egg whites
1
teaspoon vanilla
1
/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
Vi
teaspoon peppermint
extract
1V
2
cups sugar
Pink Icing
Preheat
oven to 300°F. In a
large mixing bowl, beat egg
whites, vanilla, cream of tartar,
and extract with an electric mixer
on high speed until soft peaks
form (tips curl). Add the sugar,
1
tablespoon at a time, beating
until stiff peaks form (tips stand
straight). Spoon this meringue
into a large pastry bag fitted with
a large star tip. Pipe small mounds
(about
1
inch in diameter)
1
inch
apart onto lightly greased baking
sheets. (You should have about
1 3 0
meringue stars total.)
Bake
meringues about
2 0
minutes or until firm and
bottoms are very lightly browned.
Transfer to racks; cool. Spread
bottoms of half of meringue
stars with about 1 teaspoon Pink
Icing. Gently press bottom sides
of remaining meringue stars into
icing to form sandwiches.
D ot
icing in an
8
-inch circle
on a flat serving plate. Build the
tree's first layer by arranging a
circle of 15 meringue sandwiches
on their sides with points of one
side of each sandwich facing the
edge of plate. Within this circle,
make a circle of
1 0
sandwiches.
On this foundation, stack ever-
smaller circles of sandwiches on
their sides to form a tree or cone
shape. Use small amounts (about
1/2
teaspoon) of icing to attach
each sandwich to the previous
layer, forming
5
to
6
layers of
meringue sandwiches (25 in first
layer, 15 in the second, then
1 3
,
7, 4, and
1
in the consecutive
layers that follow). Makes 65
meringue sandwiches.
PinkIcing
:
Combine 3 cups
sifted
powdered sugar,
3 tablespoons softened
butter,
and
1 / /2
teaspoons
vanilla.
Add 1 or 2 drops
red food
coloring
to tint a light-pink
color. Stir in
1/4
cup finely
chopped
candied red cherries
.
Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons
milk
until icing is smooth and of
spreading consistency.
WHITE-ON-WHITE
CHEESECAKE
Shown
above
and on
page 103.
V
2
cup butter, softened
Vi
cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs
1
Vi
cups all-purpose flour
4 8-ounce packages cream
cheese, softened
1
Vi
cups granulated sugar
Vi
cup all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons vanilla
2 8-ounce cartons dairy
sour cream
Vi
cup granulated sugar
Preheat
oven to 350°F. In a
large mixing bowl, beat butter
for 30 seconds. Add brown
sugar; beat until fluffy. Add 1
of the eggs; beat well. Slowly
beat in the 11
/4 cups flour until
combined. Divide dough in half.
Cover and refrigerate 1 portion.
Spread
remaining portion onto
the bottom of an ungreased
1 0
-inch springform pan with sides
removed. Place on baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes. Remove
from oven; cool completely.
W hen
bottom crust has cooled,
attach sides of pan. Press chilled
dough portion onto sides to a
height of about 174 inches.
Set aside.
Increase
oven temperature
to 450°F. In a large mixing bowl,
beat cream cheese and the
1 1
/4 cups granulated sugar until
fluffy. Beat in the
V4
cup flour at
low speed until smooth. Add
the remaining
3
eggs and
3
teaspoons of the vanilla all at
once, beating at low speed until
just combined. Stir in
V
2
cup of
the sour cream. Pour batter into
the crust-lined pan. Place in a
shallow baking pan in oven.
Bake
for 10 minutes. Reduce
oven temperature to 300°F. Bake
30 minutes more or until center
appears nearly set when gently
shaken. Remove from oven. Stir
together remaining sour cream,
the
V
4
cup granulated sugar, and
the remaining
1
teaspoon vanilla.
Spread mixture evenly over top
of cheesecake. Return to oven;
bake 15 minutes more.
Remove
from oven. Cool on
wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen
crust from sides of pan. Cool for
30 minutes more. Remove sides
of pan; cool completely. Cover
and chill overnight or at least 4
hours. Before slicing, let stand at
room temperature for 15 minutes.
Garnish with white chocolate
curls and star cutouts if desired.
Makes 16 servings.
Best of Christmas Ideas 105
