Champagne Fingers - eggs

Method

• Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
• Reduce to a simmer.
• Combine the eggs, salt, extract, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer but use a hand whisk to mix smooth.
• Place the bowl over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is lukewarm, about 100 degrees, all in all about 1 minute.
• Place the bowl on the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip on medium speed until the mixture has cooled and increased in volume.
• This will be in about 5 or 6 minutes.
• Stop the mixer and try to draw a line about 3 inches long and 1/4 inch deep in the egg foam with a fingertip; if it holds its shape, its ready.
• Remove the bowl from the mixer and in three or four additions sift over and fold in the flour with a rubber spatula.
• Fit a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch plain tube (Ateco #806).
• Pipe the batter dough onto the prepared pans in 2 1/2 to 3-inch fingers, leaving about an inch all around.
• After all the cookies are piped, cover one row of piped fingers with granulated sugar.
• Shake the sugar toward you until all the fingers are coated.
• Remember to hold down the corners of the paper with your thumbs, or the paper with the cookies attached will slide off the pan.
• Shake the excess sugar off the pan onto a sheet of wax paper and reuse for the next batch.
• Let the cookies dry, uncovered, for at least 4 hours at room temperatureovernight is best, so that the sugar coating adheres.
• When you are ready to bake the cookies, set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
• Bake the cookies for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are firm and light golden color.
• Slide the papers from the pans onto racks.
• Store the cooled cookies between sheets of parchment or wax paper in a tin or plastic container with a tight-fitting cover.
• VARIATION
• ANISE DISKS: This old-fashioned Alsatian and Swiss cookie deserves to be better known.
• To make them, substitute 2 teaspoons anise extract for the vanilla extract.
• Pipe the cookies as 1 1/2-inch disks.
• Sugar them the same way as the champagne fingers or not, as you wish.
• Let the cookies dry, uncovered, at room temperature for 24 hours before baking them.
• They are very delicate.