In a small and tranquil town nestled in the French countryside, Vianne stirs a pot of melting chocolate. Calmly and peacefully, she contemplates the smooth brown liquid. As she takes in the magical scent, she dreams that her chocolates will awaken the hopes, dreams and desires of all who taste it. Behind her back, the townspeople whisper. They've never met anyone so mysterious and bold. They question her morality, her character, and her motives. They try their best to dissuade her. Will they win?
In my loud and chaotic kitchen I'm whipping egg whites for spicy chocolate meringues. The noise of the mixer isn't loud enough to drown out the sound of the children bickering back and forth. I do my best to tune out the noise, watching as the egg whites go from frothy to cloud-like. With reluctance I look to the children and notice that the bickering has not stopped. I scold them nicely and continue on. As I wish for a calm and peaceful kitchen, the back door slams. It shatters against the kitchen counter, bits and pieces of broken glass raining down all over the kitchen. In shock and disbelief I stand with my fists clenched as I turn red in the face. I'm too angry to speak. The children know what they've done. They cry in unison and run to their rooms. Behind my back, they whisper. They wonder how they will be punished. They wonder if they can dissuade me, but you and I both know that they didn't win.
I should have known right then and there that my Mexican Chocolate Meringues weren't meant to be. For some reason I felt compelled to make them. I attempted them two more times and each time the meringues fell flat and stuck to the parchment. At the peak of anger and frustration, I scraped them off the sheet pan and watched them crumble to pieces. Hastily, I grabbed a chunk from the sheet tray and shoved it in my mouth. It was magical! Rich from the chocolate, warm from the cinnamon, and fragrant with the smell of almonds. I stood there eating the crumbs from the tray. The spicy chocolate eased my deflated ego. They were addictive. I had to save them somehow.
I formed the crumbles into little balls and dipped them in melted chocolate. Once the chocolate set I sprinkled them with chile powder. That's how Mexican Chocolate Meringue Truffles were born. Sometimes our failures can be our biggest rewards.
If you would like to attempt the Mexican Chocolate Meringues, the recipe can be found here on the Food Network. I'm sure that someone with more baking experience than myself would produce beautiful chocolate meringues. They are quite warm and spicy, seductive and magical, just like Vianne in Chocolat!
This is my submission for the fun new foodie event Food 'n Flix. Head on over to check out next month's chosen flick!
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