I am a collector. Some might think I am a hoarder-in-training but no, I am a collector. Trouble is I collect many different things and my organizational skills are somewhat wanting. That’s another story though, and would probably take a lifetime to figure out. This is about old cookbooks, or more specifically, old recipes. I love looking at old recipes. There is something about the old cookbook and recipes that captivate me. Deep down inside me I think “if only I have the right recipe the food will be wonderful.” Not always the way it goes but I keep trying….and looking and every so often I do good. Today was one of those days.
Not too long ago I went to this auction house down in Ocala and found, among other treasures, a loose leaf binder. After getting it home I started exploring the book and, lo and behold, it was full of recipes! Some looked like they were cut from magazines in the 60’s and 70’s.
One recipe, Bonnie Meringue Tarts, caught my eye. The recipe is on the back of a June 1954 calendar. The thought of meringues is a little special to me. When my daughter was little I made meringues and she loved them. Only did it once but for some reason she brings them up like I made them everyday. Special place in her heart I guess. I thought they tasted sort of like marshmallows but they are low calorie (compared to other cookies). These meringues are made into a shell and I though with strawberry filling they would be the bomb! Strawberry season is upon us in Florida so the timing is right. I tried them out and they are pretty good. They look great and would make a fantastic presentation. Here’s the Original recipe:
Bonnie Meringue Tarts
the writing is small so I copied it so everyone could see it better.
4 egg whites
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup quick rolled oats uncooked
Add vinegar, vanilla and salt to egg whites and heat to a soft foam. Add sugar gradually, about a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition and continuing until the mixture stands in moist peaks. Fold in rolled oats lightly and pile in 8 mounds on a lightly greased baking sheet, using a spatula or spoon to hollow out the centers and build up the sides to make shells. Bake in a 275 degree oven about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Then cool slightly and remove from pan with a thin bladed spatula. Fill with sweetened strawberries or other fruits in season and top with slightly sweetened whipped cream. This will make 8 tarts.
I modified the recipe a little:
for the 1 cup sugar I used 1/2 cup Splenda (everyone I know is on a diet)
for the salt I added cream of tartar
I left out the oats
Instead of a lightly greased pan I used parchment paper. Good thing. Meringues can be a little sticky depending on the humidity. I live in Florida. Enough said. The parchment paper also cuts down on clean up. Yippee!
Here’s how the shells looked before baking:
and after baking for 1 hour at 275 degrees.
And here’s mine before I ate it. Yummy! The strawberries were lightly sweetened with Splenda, too.
I hope they look as pretty when I get them to work for my team mates.
Give them a try and let me know what you think. They’re pretty, and tasty, too.
Post by Eileen Patterson of GoofingOff.etsy.com and GoofingOff.artfire.com.
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