Sunday, November 11, 2012

Royal Icing Pilgrim Hat

I thought about waiting until closer to Thanksgiving to post this one, but I wanted to give you a chance to pipe a whole bunch of pilgrim hats if you're so inclined (the last thing you want to be worried about when the turkey is supposed to be taking center stage is whether or not you have the fixin's for black icing). All you'll need to pipe pint-sized pilgrim hats is round tips #12 and #2, black and yellow stiff consistency royal icing, a flower nail, a Styrofoam block to rest the nail in, a glue stick, parchment squares, and a dusting pouch filled with a 50/50 mix of cornstarch and powdered sugar. Start by sticking a parchment square to the flower nail with a dab from the glue stick. 
 Attach the #12 tip. Hold it just above and at a right angle to the surface. Pipe a circle (the brim of the hat), and tap the icing flat with a fingertip after touching it to the dusting pouch. The shape should be about the size of a nickel. Allow it to firm up for a few minutes.
 Also with the #12 tip, pipe the crown of the hat. Hold the tip at a right angle to and just above the center. Squeeze while drawing the tip up a little less than half an inch. Stop pressure and pull the tip away. A peak will remain. Touch a fingertip to the dusting pouch and tap it into a shape as close to the iconic pilgrim hat as you can (a sloping cylinder with a flat top).
 Allow the icing to firm up for a few minutes, then switch to the #2 tip on the yellow bag. Pipe a small square with a crossbar over one of the vertical lines. Tap down any peaks with a dusted fingertip. Use these to decorate any Thanksgiving desserts, such as petits fours or even individual slices of pumpkin pie.

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