Meringue Hearts Floating in Raspberry Sauce

Ingredients for raspberry sauce:
1.5 pounds fresh raspberries or two 12-ounce bags frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
1/2 cup sugar

Ingredients for meringues:
8 room temperature egg whites
1 cup sugar
Garnish options - 1 pint fresh strawberries, washed, stemmed, and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and some mint leaves, washed.

Preparation
1. Prepare raspberry sauce: Combine the raspberries and sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Push the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Refrigerate in an airtight container.
2. Whip the egg whites on high speed until white, fluffy, and just about to hold soft peaks. With mixer still on high, slowly pour in the sugar in a steady stream. Whip until the meringue holds stiff peaks.
3. Cut out a round piece of parchment just a little bit smaller in diameter than the large, wide sauté pan that you will use to cook the meringues. Grease the parchment with vegetable shortening.
4. Pour 3" to 4" of water into the saute pan and bring it to barely a simmer.
5. Fit a pastry bag with a #8 or #9 plain tip, and fill the bag about halfway with the meringue.
6. Form hearts by piping two teardrops, each about 3" long, side by side on the greased parchment.
7. Carefully slide the parchment onto the surface of the simmering water, and pull it out from under the hearts. The hearts should just slide off as soon as the paper comes in contact with the hot water.
8. Simmer, covered for 45 seconds. Lift the hearts from the water with a slotted spoon, and drain them on paper towels. Repeat until you have 16 to 20 hearts. (Meringue hearts can be refrigerated uncovered for up to one day.)
9. To assemble the dessert: Pour the raspberry sauce onto a shallow platter that is large enough to hold all of the meringue hearts. Using a slotted spatula, carefully float the meringues on top of the sauce.
10. Arrange strawberry slices around the rim of the platter and decorate with the mint leaves. Serve immediately.

Queen of Hearts Jam Tarts

This recipe is from guest chef, Jenn Thorson~


Supplies-

1 jar raspberry or strawberry jam
4-inch heart-shaped tart pans

Pastry ingredients-

Each batch makes two large tarts

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 egg

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Grease tart pans lightly with margarine.

Mix all ingredients for Cookie Tart Pastry until dough forms.

Press firmly, evenly and thickly against bottom and side of tart pan (If the dough is too thin, it will be hard to remove the baked item from the pan and it’ll, um, break your heart).

Poke with fork thoroughly to prevent dough from puffing.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until light brown;

Cool.

Remove from tart pan carefully.

Fill with raspberry jam and enjoy!

PS-- I got my tart pans at TJ Maxx and Marshalls, though many kitchen stores will have them. Happy Valentine’s Day, everybody!

About the owner of this recipe:

"A veteran thrifter, compulsive home decorator and fan of the funny and offbeat, I work as a marketing writer by day and a blogger by night... So, you know, sorta like Batgirl, but with less fighting evil and more carpal tunnel.Visit "Of Cabbages and Kings" for a warm appreciation of all the wit, whimsy and weirdness everyday life has to offer.Stop by "The Thrift Shop Romantic" to find the place where humor and some serious decorating, crafting, thrifting and gifting meet. "

Her Blogs are:
Of Cabbages and Kings http://cabbages-n-kings.blogspot.com/
Where tales of pollen cats, ski-ball athleticism, reverse salad bars, and evil clown dolls all come to spawn. Find the wit, whimsy and general weirdness with this hum…
The Thrift Shop Romantic http://thriftshopromantic.blogspot.com/
Blog and project site for fun, vintage-style home decorating ideas, crafting, gifting, thrifting and collecting on a budget.