White
from one large egg or two small
eggs
8 oz icing sugar (one cup of frosting
if you live in the US)
Peppermint essence or peppermint
oil
method:
Beat the egg white in a bowl with
a fork and sieve (sift) in 6 oz
of icing sugar (frosting). Mix
well with a wooden spoon and slowly
sieve in more icing sugar, half
a tablespoon at a time until you
have made a stiff paste. Shake
a little icing sugar on the work
surface and empty the paste onto
this. Add 3/4 drops of peppermint
essence or oil and gently knead
it together with your fingers
until you have a smooth paste.
Have a taste of a small piece
and if the flavour is not strong
enough, add a few more drops of
the peppermint.
Rub icing sugar on a rolling
pin and roll the paste to quarter
of an inch (0.5cm) thick. Cut
out individual peppermint creams
with a cutter - a round one
or any other shape you have
handy. Cover a plate with non-stick
parchment or greaseproof paper
(vegetable parchment) and place
the peppermint shapes on the
paper. Cover with a clean tea
towel and leave overnight in
a cool place (but not the fridge).
Store in small paper cases in
an airtight tin.
observations:
Peppermint
creams have been made for generations
in Scotland (and, no doubt, elsewhere
too!)
