Subject: Re: SC - Need help redacting candy recipe

[Bernadette Crumb]

Robin Carroll-Mann wrote:
> 
> And it came to pass on 6 Dec 99,, that Jennifer Rushman wrote:
> 
> >      Another option to be considered would be meringues.  That was my
> > impression when first reading the description of the recipe.  I don't
> > know if meringues are period or not but they are one of my favorites,
> > esp around Christmas.
> [snip]
> 
> As I said in another post, my semi-successful experiment tonight
> resembled firm meringues.  According to Larousse, meringues were
> invented by a French pastry chef in 1720.  Melindres are meringue-like,
> but have a much higher proportion of sugar to egg white.  The recipes for
> meringue cookies I found on the web contained only about 1/4 to 1/3
> cup of sugar per egg white.  Then again, meringues are intended to be
> dropped by spoonfuls, not rolled into shapes.
> 
> And while I think of it, does anyone know what "cook them in an oven
> with a basin" means exactly?  I assume it means to bake the melindres
> with an inverted basin over them.  What would that achieve?  Lower the
> heat?  Increase it?  Protect the melindres from excess browning or from
> being soiled by cinders?
> 

Lady Clare,

I'm a novice at redactions and all, but my first thought upon the
"cook them in an oven with a basin" was that the basin might have
water in it to humidify the interior of the oven so the melindres
don't dry out too much on the outside while the heat is cooking
the inside...

My mom would put an ovenproof dish of water in the bottom of our
oven when she made macaroons for that reaon and I was looking at
her recipe in prep for making Christmas cookies... so I might be
way off base and the idea triggered by memories of my mom's
baking...

Bernadette Crumb
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