Week 6: September 20-26, Biscuits A La Cuiller (Ladyfingers), pg. 667 (MOM)

This is the recipe for this week. I am a little intimidated by Ladyfingers! Stay tuned for a full report! 9/20-Step 2: Went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and bought pastry bags and nozzles to use for the Ladyfingers. I am still intimidated-not by the actual recipe, it is the fussy baking I am concerned with. I will keep you posted!

Kimberley:
I got all of my ingredients out and measured, ready to be used. I whipped the batter together until it formed "the ribbon." Then, I beat the egg whites until they formed soft peaks, added the sugar, beat until it formed stiff peaks. Lastly, you had to fold and combine flour, egg and sugar mixture, and egg white mixture. It had to be folded just enough to be mixed, but not deflate the egg whites. I then pushed it into the disposable pastry bag and made my ladyfingers. I could not find a half inch tip so I had to make two lines of batter. If I were to make ladyfingers again, I would want a larger pastry bag, with a larger tip, and a helper to hold the bag while I put the batter into it. It is a very difficult job by yourself.

In the recipe Julia mentions that if the cookies are under baked, they will be soggy, and over baked they will be hard. So they need to be just right. They actually turned out okay. They are not as pretty as commercial, perfectly sized Ladyfingers, but for a first attempt I am pretty happy with them. I put an apricot glaze in the middle of them. Dad and I tasted a couple of them plain and they are very tasty. Later- I tasted the Ladyfingers with the glaze in the middle and they are totally delicious! Later still -Connor just got home from a Cross Country Invitational and ate two. He thought they were really, really good!

Taste: 5
Ease of Preparation: 4 (fussy, with LOTS of dishes, as usual)
Presentation: 4
Price: 1
Would I make the recipe again? Hmmmmm. Well, they are a lot of work and create a lot of dirty dishes, but they are very good. The recipe does not make very many though and it would be hard to double it because of the whole egg white not deflating problem. My guess is probably not, but who knows!