Thursday, September 30, 2010

Food 'n Flix: Mexican Chocolate Meringue Truffles


In a small and tranquil town nestled in the French countryside, Vianne stirs a pot of melting chocolate. Calmly and peacefully, she contemplates the smooth brown liquid. As she takes in the magical scent, she dreams that her chocolates will awaken the hopes, dreams and desires of all who taste it. Behind her back, the townspeople whisper. They've never met anyone so mysterious and bold. They question her morality, her character, and her motives. They try their best to dissuade her. Will they win?

In my loud and chaotic kitchen I'm whipping egg whites for spicy chocolate meringues. The noise of the mixer isn't loud enough to drown out the sound of the children bickering back and forth. I do my best to tune out the noise, watching as the egg whites go from frothy to cloud-like. With reluctance I look to the children and notice that the bickering has not stopped. I scold them nicely and continue on. As I wish for a calm and peaceful kitchen, the back door slams. It shatters against the kitchen counter, bits and pieces of broken glass raining down all over the kitchen. In shock and disbelief I stand with my fists clenched as I turn red in the face. I'm too angry to speak. The children know what they've done. They cry in unison and run to their rooms. Behind my back, they whisper. They wonder how they will be punished. They wonder if they can dissuade me, but you and I both know that they didn't win.

I should have known right then and there that my Mexican Chocolate Meringues weren't meant to be. For some reason I felt compelled to make them. I attempted them two more times and each time the meringues fell flat and stuck to the parchment. At the peak of anger and frustration, I scraped them off the sheet pan and watched them crumble to pieces. Hastily, I grabbed a chunk from the sheet tray and shoved it in my mouth. It was magical! Rich from the chocolate, warm from the cinnamon, and fragrant with the smell of almonds. I stood there eating the crumbs from the tray. The spicy chocolate eased my deflated ego. They were addictive. I had to save them somehow.

I formed the crumbles into little balls and dipped them in melted chocolate. Once the chocolate set I sprinkled them with chile powder. That's how Mexican Chocolate Meringue Truffles were born. Sometimes our failures can be our biggest rewards.

If you would like to attempt the Mexican Chocolate Meringues, the recipe can be found here on the Food Network. I'm sure that someone with more baking experience than myself would produce beautiful chocolate meringues. They are quite warm and spicy, seductive and magical, just like Vianne in Chocolat!

This is my submission for the fun new foodie event Food 'n Flix. Head on over to check out next month's chosen flick!

18 comments:

  1. Kim, your meringues look lovely and I'm sure they taste wonderful. I could use one right now. Sorry about your kitchen door. Yikes! Look on the bright side, it could have happened in the middle of winter. There, did that make you feel better? :o) Hopefully your Mystic Pizza inspiration can be made in peace and quiet, lol.

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  2. Kim, I am SO GLAD you didn't give up on the meringues because damn do they look good! I think you could cover any baking mishap with chocolate and all would be right in the end.

    Yikes about the kitchen door. At least no one was hurt!

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  3. Oh My Gawd!! Well, at least the angels were okay ;) Your description of the meringues sounds so mouthwatering...and I don't think they look bad as is, actually. LOVIN' what you turned them into....very, very inspired =) What do you say we hunt down Roux and give him a new favorite?

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  4. Of course I'm very happy that the cherubs were unhurt, but glass is soooooo hard to clean up. Pieces always turn up--usually on the soles of my feet--no matter how carefully I try to clean up. I adore meringues, puffy or not, but your truffles were inspired! You rock, girl.

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  5. So did you let your children live?
    At least you got to have a bit of bliss when you tried them out and transformed them into these truffles. Very creative!
    I hope no one got hurt and the clean-up crew didn't get cut in the process either.

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  6. I saw the photo of the broken glass on FB - I felt so sorry for you - down on your hands and knees scraping up glass for what I'm sure felt like hours.

    Yeah, because you know that's how I felt when my shower door was shattered.....

    In the meantime, the meringues look amazing and kudos to you for saving them!

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  7. oh bless you but your creation rocks all the same

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  8. Look at you....even when presented with such disruption, you created those lovely meringues! I am proud of you!!

    I wish I had participated too!

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  9. Perfect! Way to salvage your Mexican meringues - you ended up with something even more special!
    As for the kids... how about duct tape? ;-) That should keep them out of trouble for a while. ☺

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  10. Chocolat must have popularized Mexican chocolate...cause I associate the two together too. The meringues sound delicious, by the way...

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  11. Meringues are notoriously difficult. I love how you made truffles out of them, i bet they were delicious.
    *kisses* HH

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  12. I have the toughest time doing meringues here in Hawaii--I guess some of it is humidity (the rest is probably skill or lack there of!). I think this look more fun and interesting as truffles--and more decadent. ;-) Great pick. I am glad no one was hurt with the door but how frustrating!

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  13. Great save Kim! They sound sinfully delicious! And I love, love love this movie! I'm sorry about your door - that sounds almost scary.

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  14. They look good to me! Sound good too. I love chocolate and cinnamon together. Good thing you tried them before they ended up in the trash. Great save!

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  15. Shows was perseverence, talent and chocolate will do! (It's a secret - but sometimes I yearn for the young, bickering days!)

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  16. Out of disaster comes trimuph! Your truffles sound fantastic.
    Just remember, the door can be replaced.
    Mimi

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