rochers.

rochers: meringue and toasted silvered almonds in big crispy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside-mounds. a recipe from the tartine bakery cookbook, from the tartine bakery in san francisco, ca.

miss craftapalooza suggested meringues with cream for my strawberry glut, but there was something about these that beckoned. probably the toasty loveliness of slivered almonds that don't just dot the meringue, but create a virtual haystack within--no nibble shall be nutless, i tell you. the original recipe says it makes 30 small cookies, i managed to eke out a dozen of these giganto versions. piping is recommended, even though the almond pieces will clog the tip; also, results can be unbecoming. just stick to heaping teaspoonfuls (or tablespoonfuls) and you should get something similar to a favourite golden wrapped confection. eaten out of hand, or coarsely crushed over sliced strawberries and cream, these are big rock cookie mountains i'll take over the candy version, any day.