Take two eggs {Meringue Ghost Caketoppers / Cheese Straws}

I have a confession to make.
I'm not the world's biggest fan of Halloween.
It's the whole 'trick or treat' thing really.
But I have children and don't want to be a complete killjoy.
As an avid fan - some may say I'm addicted - of Pinterest I haven't really been able to avoid the Halloween treats that can be made and eaten.
Edith caught me on there the other day and spotted the meringue ghosts and seeing as we have a great supply of eggs from the trusty hens outside we thought we would have a go.
They ended up looking more of a Pinstrosity but still, they tasted rather good!

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Here's what to do:

Simply whisk up two egg whites until stiff.
Whisk in 50g of caster sugar.
Whisk in another 50g of caster sugar until the mix has gone shiny and super stiff - tip the bowl upside down, if the meringue doesn't end up on your head then you're good to go.

We piped the meringues onto a baking paper lined tray then added chocolate chip eyes.
We then baked the ghosts at 120c for 90-120 minutes - we took ours out at 90 minutes as we like a chewy centre to our meringues.

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They are moreish on their own but also make good cake toppers so we whizzed up a dozen Chai & Ovaltine cupcakes - this time I combined the powder mixes 3oz Ovaltine and 1oz Chai - and stuck some ghosts on using an Ovaltine and water paste.

 



Now, I do love meringues but clearly end up with spare egg yolks so we tried something new and had a go at cheese straws - minus the pinch of mustard powder and cayenne powder, as usually found in recipes, as I couldn't find them anywhere in my kitchen. They are on the shopping list for next time though to give them some extra flavour.

These went down a storm with the kiddies though...

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375g plain flour

225g butter

200g strong cheddar cheese - grated

2 egg yolks

water

 

Rub the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs.

Mix in the cheese, egg yolks and a tbsp. of cold water.

Combine into a ball adding more water if needed.

Wrap in clingfilm and fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll out to about the thickness of a £2 coin - into a rough square if you can.

Cut the square in half and cut into strips about 1cm wide - you will get about 30 - 40 straws.

Lay the strips on a baking paper lined tray.

Bake for 10-15 minutes at 180-190c until crisp.

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I challenge you not to devour the lot in one sitting.

 

Have you spotted my rather lovely new cake tins and serving plate?

They are part of the Vintage Ivy range from dotcomgiftshop.com and the colours and design are just lovely and fit in with a range of colour schemes.

 

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Disclaimer: I was sent the Vintage Ivy products from dotcomgiftshop.com for review purposes. As always the views and opinions are honest and are mine.