THE NIBBLE

No-fat, no-gluten meringues are a light
dessert with coffee or tea. Photo courtesy
BellaBaker.com.

Lauryn Cohen of BellaBaker.com shows how to turn the pallid white meringue into a holiday meringue bursting with red and green accents.
CHRISTMAS MERINGUES: RED, GREEN & WHITE

Ingredients

Preparation

1. PREHEAT oven to 200°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. ADD the egg whites, sugar and vanilla in the metal bowl of a stand mixer add. Place over a medium saucepan of simmering water. Stir until the sugar melts and the mixture is almost clear.

3. PLACE the bowl into the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip for 8 minutes on medium-high. The meringue should be glossy and stiff.

4. BRUSH a line of red food coloring onto the inside of the piping bag, using either a small paint brush or a lollipop stick. Repeat with the green on the opposite side of the bag. Fill with the meringue and pipe into roses or star dollops onto your baking sheets.

5. PLACE in the oven and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a wire rack.

That’s why our final pre-Christmas tip is to give yourself or your loved ones healthy cooking classes. It’s smart to include adolescents, teens and young adults: Most eating habits are learned at home.

That’s why we love the gift of understanding how to make nutritious and calorie-wise foods:

 
And it’s a great last minute gift: You need only a holiday card. Just write, “This card entitles you to a gift of healthy cooking classes at the school of your choice.”

WHERE TO FIND HEALTHY COOKING CLASSES

You’ll find healthy cooking classes at local cooking schools, Ys, community colleges, adult education centers and natural foods stores such as Whole Foods Market.

Just search “healthy cooking classes” and your town.
  

The best gift of all: a cow, goat, sheep or
chickens to a very needy family. Photo
courtesy Heifer International.

Perhaps the most important gift catalog is from Heifer International, which provides indigent families with a cow or other livestock: a reliable source of food for the children and also a reliable source of income. Extra milk from a cow, goat or sheep, or eggs from a poultry gift, can be sold at the local market.

You can give the gift in the name of someone else: a double gift, as it were, giving the person who has everything the donation of a food animal to a family that has nothing. This truly meaningful gift will change the lives of a third-world family in need.

Income from the milk or eggs, coupled with the training in sustainable practices that the family receives, allows them to clothe their families, obtain medical care and send the children to school.

It’s not just cows: You can give a goat or sheep, a beehive, chickens, ducks or geese. The cost of a gift is as little as $20…or less:

You can buy a “share” in a cow or sheep for just $10. Take a look at the options.

Your cousin may not need those extra iTunes, but a needy family sure could use that flock of chickens ($20).

Check out the options.

Candy cane fudge brownies? Absolutely!

How can you resist this delicious recipe from Lauryn Cohen of BellaBaker.com.

The recipe becomes “Peppermint Brownies” any time of the year: Just crush hard peppermint candies instead of candy canes.

National Chocolate Brownie Day is December 8th. National Candy Cane Day is December 26th.

> The year’s 5 brownie holidays.

> The history of brownies.
 
 
RECIPE: CANDY CANE FUDGE BROWNIES

Ingredients

 
For The Ganache

 
Preparation

1. CENTER a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously butter a 9×13-inch glass baking pan.

[2] Ready, set, chop (photo © Luciana Borges | Squarespace).

3. WHISK in the sugar. Whisk in the eggs one by one. Add the vanilla and peppermint extracts and whisk vigorously to bring the batter together and give it a shine. Gently stir in the salt and flour; stir only until incorporated. Switch to a rubber spatula and fold in 2 cups of the candy cane pieces. Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth the top with the rubber spatula.

4. BAKE the brownies for 30 to 33 minutes, or until the top is dull and a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean. (The tip of the knife may be a touch streaky.) Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature.

5. MAKE the ganache while the brownies are cooling. Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring the heavy cream to a boil. Once it has reached boiling, pour half the heavy cream over the chopped chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds, then gently stir the chocolate and cream together with a rubber spatula, using a figure eight motion. Pour the remaining heavy cream over the chocolate and continue to gently stir. Add the butter, one piece at a time, until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the ganache is smooth and glossy.

6. POUR the ganache over brownies and smooth with a rubber spatula to completely cover top of brownies. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of crushed candy canes on top of ganache.

7. REFRIGERATE the brownies for one hour until ganache has set, before cutting into squares.
 
 

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