Dimples
Beat the whites of three eggs and three-quarters pound of sugar till well mixed. Stir in blanched almonds, cut fine. Drop on tins and bake in a cool oven.--Mrs. A. C.
This is an almond meringue drop, written in the shorthand a nineteenth-century cook could fill in from habit. The proportions are unusually sugar-heavy, which is what makes it hold a shape on the tin rather than spread.
- The sugar quantityThree-quarters pound is about 1 2/3 cups of granulated sugar, roughly twice what a modern meringue uses against three whites. Expect a stiff, almost paste-like batter rather than a billowy foam.
- Beating whites and sugar togetherAdding all the sugar at the start, as written, keeps the whites from ever whipping high. Setting the bowl over a pan of hot water while beating, as for a Swiss meringue, dissolves the sugar and gives a glossy mixture that pipes or drops cleanly.
- "A cool oven"Read this as roughly 250-300F. These are dried as much as baked: figure 45 minutes to an hour, then left in the turned-off oven to crisp. Much hotter and the sugar colors while the interiors stay sticky.
- Blanched almondsWhole almonds dropped in boiling water for a minute, then slipped from their skins and chopped fine by hand. Sliced or slivered blanched almonds are the closest bought equivalent; the recipe gives no quantity, and about 1 cup suits this batch. Ground almond flour gives a macaroon-like paste rather than a studded meringue.
- "Drop on tins"Baking sheets, ungreased in the original. Parchment or a silicone mat is the practical substitute, since sugar meringue welds itself to bare metal.
- Yield and sizeTeaspoon-sized drops give several dozen. They should lift off cleanly and sound hollow when tapped; any tackiness means more drying time, not more heat.
- StorageAirtight and dry, or they go leathery within a day in humid weather. This is a cookie for cool, dry rooms.
Housekeeping in Old Virginia (1879), compiled by Marion Cabell Tyree from contributions by Virginia housewives, is full of these initialed, two-line confections; "Mrs. A. C." reflects the book's habit of crediting contributors by initials alone. Sugar-and-white drops of this kind circulated under a variety of names in American and English books of the period, kisses, puffs, almond cakes, and the name "dimples" may refer to the small dip or crack that forms in the top as the meringue dries and settles, though this is guesswork: the book never explains itself. Egg whites were also a byproduct in kitchens that used yolks in custards, sauces and pound cakes, and confections of this type were one way of using them. That the almonds appear blanched and hand-cut rather than ground is a reminder that in a household of this period nut preparation was work done at home.