MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

This is NOT the buttercream I used for the wedding cake. Truthfully, it was a risky and not very wise choice, because it was so delicate and heat sensitive. Ashley, who these days is a caterer in Chicago, discovered this meringue buttercream recipe that is just as decadently delicious, much easier to make, and far sturdi

• 6 egg whites
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• pinch of salt
• 1 lb. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tsp. vanilla
  

For chocolate buttercream:

• 1 11.5 oz. bag of bittersweet chocolate chips, melted and cooled to warm (Ghirardelli 60 percent cacao chips preferred)

In the bowl of a mixer, or a heatproof bowl suitable for using with a hand-held blender, mix the egg whites and sugar until combined. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Whisk constantly just until the mixture is hot to the touch – be careful to not let it begin to cook/curdle. Remove the bowl from the heat, add the cream of tartar and salt and begin beating the meringue at high speed with an electric stand or hand-held mixer. Whip to soft peaks, then, still beating, add the butter a few pieces at a time. Stir in the vanilla. If the buttercream is too thin to spread, set the bowl in a sink filled with cold water for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is spreadable, but not completely chilled.

To make chocolate buttercream, mix in the melted and cooled chocolate after adding the vanilla.