Creative Writing or baking…the age-old question. Writing is more tangible, an art I feel I can learn to strive at but baking, baking is ruff (sorry, I grew up in the time of Ruff McGuff and can never get my ruff vs. rough right). It ain’t just pillow drops of sugary goodness, it’s a tough business. Just look at the city you live in. Look at your favorite bakery or patisserie and think about those bakers. How skilled they must be, how much time it must have taken them to get where they are now to get each cupcake, cookie, cake and pie just right. Am I skilled enough or do I think I can become skilled enough to bake my way to the top?
Hmmm. Well since I’m unsure, I’ve begun to test myself, baking things I have never done before, all without the proper tools. All I’ve got is my whisk, measuring cups, and an ancient oven from the 1950’s. Such is the life of a college student living in bright and sunny ole’ Binghamton. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bing but would it kill the sun to shine so I can take a walk in the snow to my favorite park (Rec Park) or coffee shop (Java Joes)? Anyways, back to baking, I am determined to prevail or fail and return to the monotony of being another working stiff in any field with an opening; yes, sadly to say, that is the fork in my life I stand between, Betty baker extraordinaire or Human Resource’s sad sally.
So, Today’s test is meringues. Meringues tickled my fancy last night at 1am. They have alway been a personal favorite, being light and crispy on the outside but fluffy and oh-so-creamy on the inside (like me, just in reverse). But at 1am, being a wee bit sleepy, I over whipped and way too stiff peaks were all there was to be found. It was sad but, being the little engine that felt she should try again for her own mental sanity, here I am nearly 12 hours later with all of my ingredients measured out into little colorful bowls (which my roommates like to use as shot glasses (oy), my egg whites sitting shiny and excited for 30 minutes to become room temperature, and The Incredibles on TV. It sounds like the perfect recipe but you never know, especially with the no lights situation going on in my apartment. Nevertheless, I am ready to give it a go…
