We celebrated Day #8 of the 12 Days of Valentine's Day with a gorgeous cheese fondue from President Cheese. I was lucky to find it in the cheese case at Costco and served one on New Years Eve and kept this one for Valentine's Day. What I like is that I can microwave the container and in minutes, I'm ready for fondue. It tastes just like you would hope. Apples and bread and cheese, oh my!
My friend Angie gave me this gorgeous heart-shaped cutting board from Longaberger (a limited edition piece that is no longer available) and it made the perfect serving station for our romantic appetizer.
Do you have any heart shaped items in your kitchen? Now's the time to get them out. Cookie cutters, cake pans, cutting boards - have some fun. I plan on making shortbread hearts later this week and maybe a heart-shaped banana bread - why not?
Have you ever baked meringue cookies? They are light and crunchy and use only 4 ingredients.
Heart-shaped Meringue Kisses
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Using the whisk attachment on your mixer, beat 4 egg whites until bubbly and beginning to foam. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar and beat until very stiff and glossy. While whisking, slowly pour one cup of white granulated sugar and 1 Tablespoon Valrhona cocoa powder into the bowl until mixed.
Put batter into a gallon-size ziploc bag. Squeeze contents into one corner and fold bag so that it can be a "piping bag" for you. Trim off 1/4 inch of corner and squeeze batter in a small "V" shaped onto parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes at 275, then raise oven temperature to 300 and bake for approximately 10-20 minutes more. (Some meringue recipes call for baking at 175 degrees for 1 hour and 40 minutes, but my timing and temp works for me.) I bake one sheet at a time to avoid burning. Cookies should be dry and a little chewy on the bottom.
The Twelve Days of Valentines Day
Day 3: Bake heart-shaped cookies and eat them all week.
