Candy Striped Meringues

Yields about 35 meringue sandwiches

3 large egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint (or almond) extract
Red gel-paste food coloring (not liquid)
1 cup heavy cream
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 175 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a heatproof mixing bowl, mix together the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over a pot of boiling water and stir until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are warm to the touch, about 2-3 minutes.

Remove the bowl from heat and, using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium high speed until stiff peaks form. Mix in the extract.Using a new small paintbrush (straw, back of a spoon...), paint 2 or 3 stripes of red food coloring inside of a pastry bag. Place a small open star-shaped tip into the bag. Fill the bag with meringue and pipe small (3/4 inch high) star shapes onto the parchment covered baking sheets. Refill bag as necessary.

Bake cookies for 1 hour and 40 minutes, or until the meringues are crisp but not brown. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.

In the meantime, make the ganache. In a small saucepan over medium high heat, heat the cream until just boiling. Place the chopped chocolate in a small bowl and pour the boiling cream on top. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Let ganache cool at room temperature, stirring every 5 to 10 minutes, until the chocolate is thick enough to hold its shape. This will take about 45 minutes. (If ganache sets before using, reheat in a double boiler and repeat the cooling process.)
|Fit another pastry bag with a small plain round tip and fill with ganache. Pipe a small amount onto bottom of 1 meringue and sandwich with another. Repeat with remaining ganache and meringues. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to set for 30 minutes.
If stored in an airtight container, it can stay for 2 days.