It's recipe time again because I made the yummiest dark chocolate meringues yesterday. How lovely do they look all marbled? I can't take credit for the recipe though because I made it from an English Hello magazine. Their recipe called for a butterscotch chocolate bar that we don't get here, so I used dark chocolate instead. I like to use what I've already got, although I did have to go and buy icing sugar.
I bought a gourmet meringue once that had a raspberry marble effect and it was amazing (in both looks and taste), so I'm going to try doing that next time. There are real fruit yoghurt swirl products you can buy (sort of like a runny jam) which I think will do the job well, or you could simmer up frozen berries and sugar instead.
The Hello magazine recipe said the mixture made six merinques and they were giant! The plate above is a bread and butter plate size. In the future I plan to make 12 or even 18 meringues with the same quantity of mixture.
I took a photo of the recipe (above). You should be able to click on it to read the instructions. In case you can't see it clearly, here's what I did:
Dark chocolate meringues
Preheat oven to 150 deg C or 275 deg F.
Line a baking tray with baking (greaseproof) paper.
Beat three egg whites until they form soft peaks.
Gradually add 150g (5 oz) of icing sugar (also called powdered or confectioner's sugar) while beating until well-mixed and mixture forms stiff peaks. Mixture should be white and pearly (it's very pretty!)
Melt 100g (3 oz) dark chocolate in the microwave and gently mix chocolate through the egg white and sugar mixture. You'll want to achieve a marbled effect rather than completely mix it in.
Place spoonfuls onto the baking tray and bake for 50-60 minutes. I checked mine at 45 minutes because I could already smell a slight scorchedness. They weren't burnt but they were well-cooked so I'll probably check them at 35-40 next time. I love it when meringues (or their big sister pavlova) have a crispy shell but are gooey/chewy in the middle.
We had ours with vanilla icecream (which is the perfect accompaniment to any dessert in my book).
I hope you enjoy this recipe if you decide to try it. I'd never made meringues before and really, they are so easy. I'm sure they would impress family or guests too, which is obviously the main thing ;)
Wishing you a happy weekend - a long weekend for the US I think!
I adore meringues, so that is one I might try although we try and steer clear of sugary desserts because, well, of the sugar content! But now and again is fine and these look wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI must add that your book arrived this morning, along with one of my favourite genres of book, social history: Adrian Tinniswood's The Long Weekend. This is about life in the English Country House between the wars, just my kind of reading - of course, I'd be living above stairs! I wouldn't be emptying the chamber pots or turning to face the wall to pretend I wasn't there when owner suddenly appeared! I'd be having my breakfast in bed, and then attended by my maid who would lay out my clothes for the morning, one of the many changes I would make during the day (my dear, how exhausting!)
So, with your book and Adrian's, I will be book heaven!
Margaret P
PS For those dinosaurs like myself who don't have a microwave (there must be someone else on the planet without a microwave?) I heat chocolate in a bowl over hot water, taking care not to allow the water to get too hot or to allow steam to mix with the chocolate as that makes it go cloudy.
ReplyDeleteMargaret P
PPS - Sorry, I just thought of something else, I really don't want to hog this and become a nuisance ... but meringues that have that lovely soft, chewy centre, Fiona, are actually Pavlovas, named after the Russian ballerina. For that you add (and I can't give quantities as much depends on how many egg whites you whisk) vinegar and cornflower to the mixture. That sounds odd, I know, but this makes the centre lovely and soft and marshmallowy, while the outer surface is crunchy.
ReplyDeleteMargaret P
Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLooks yummy, Fiona. I've never heard of that chocolate and I'm British! Though I'm not a choccy person so what would I know?! Like you, I'll have to go off-piste if I make them (maybe this weekend, daughter in law is coming down from London).
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your yumminess and your weekend, Mary.
Margaret, you are so funny, 'hogging' the comments. Don't worry, they can't be used up :) I didn't know that about pavlovas, I'll be sure to use a proper recipe when I do try one.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, desserts are full of sugar. I usually only make them when guests come for dinner, or maybe on a weekend, but lately I've made a few I admit...
I would love to live as you've described. How nice would that be, having someone doing everything for you. Dreamy! I'm so glad my book arrived, hope you enjoy it!
Thanks Stephanie!
PP, 'off-piste', I love it! I'm going to remember that next time I do go off-piste when I make a recipe (which is always). Oh how I wish I could say 'I'm not a choccy person'. I don't even think my mouth would know how to form the words :)
I am chuckling to myself about the pavlova comment. Both Australia and New Zealand like to Aly claim to the invention of that dessert !
ReplyDeleteI'm not a meringue person (nor chocolate) but must admit your dessert looked divine. If someone made that for me I would be truly flattered that they had gone to so much trouble.
ps Nigella makes a beautiful pav. Listen to me, sounding as if she and I hang out together on weekends ! On one of her many tv series she went into detail as to how to achieve the crisp outside and chewy inside. Again, I'm not a pavlova girl, but boy oh boy I was salivating ha ha.
pps Margaret P I love your comments. Again I second the motion that you start your own blog. Don't underestimate what curiosity we Southern Hemisphere dwellers have for your way of life :)
Lara, well, obviously it was New Zealand who invented the pavlova!
ReplyDeleteI was talking to Nigella the other day and she said she'd seen you ;)
Nigella could talk about washing the floor and it would sound sexy. She certainly has that x-factor.
Margaret already has a blog set up! We just need to encourage her to write on it now :) Come on Margaret, we need you!
Hi Fiona, this looks really yummy. I love chocolate, and so my daughter does, who is my personal assistant in the kitchen, and who also will love to give this recipe a try :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your daughter is younger, Jenny. I think it would be a fun and easy recipe to make with her. The marbling part is fun too :)
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