oh la la

I was presented the challenge of coming up with a gluten free treat that would fit into a french themed party. At the bakery I worked at we had a whole line of gluten free treats but none of them screamed french. Luckily, the host of the party suggested something to do with meringues. I never thought about it but meringues are easily made gluten free, substitute potato starch for the flour and ta-da, deliciousness that everyone can enjoy. Also, on a side note, if anyone else in the same predicament I also realized that mousse is also gluten free. A martini glass filled with chocolate mousse and some fresh whipped cream would have also been a delicious option.

The party host requested almond and hazelnut meringues which meant that I got to wander around the nut store trying to figure out why they have every nut in the world aside from hazelnuts. After I cornered someone who worked there I learned that hazelnuts are also called filberts. No idea why. I think that hazelnut is a much better name than filbert but I digress.

The actual process of making the meringues was actually pretty fun and I really enjoyed it. Not to mention that it was nice to be doing something new. The rounder meringues were actually from a star tip but the nuts gummed it up. The bulb-y meringues are hazelnut (which turned out to be my favorite) and the swirly meringues are almond. To make these little crisp treats even more decadent, I dipped them in ganache. Bon appetite!