Mocha Meringues with Whiskey Cream
Course:
Dessert
Seasonal Event:
Valentine's Day
INGREDIENTS:
Meringues
- 2 cups icing sugar
- 4 egg whites
- 2 tsp of cornflour
- 1 tsp of white wine vinegar
- 3 tsp of good quality cocoa powder
- 2 tsp of instant espresso powder
- ½ cup of chopped toasted hazelnuts
Dark Chocolate Sauce
- ¼ cup caster sugar
- ¼ cup of water
- ½ cup of good quality dark chocolate, finely chopped
- 1 tsp of cocoa powder
- ½ tsp of espresso powder
Whiskey Cream
- 1 ½ cups of cream
- 3 tbsp of whiskey
- 3 tbsp of icing sugar
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Line two baking trays with baking parchment.
- Place the icing sugar and egg whites in a standing food mixer and whisk on high for 10 minutes until glossy white peaks form. Using a spatula, gently fold in the cornflour and the white wine vinegar. When this is mixed through, sift the cocoa powder and espresso powder over the meringue mix and gently fold in.
- Using a tablespoon, place 3-inch/8cm spoonfuls of the meringue mix onto the baking tray and flatten each one gently in the centre with the back of a spoon. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Place the sugar and water in a small saucepan over a medium heat and stir gently to dissolve the sugar. Add the espresso powder, whisk through and bring the mix to a steady simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to sit for 1-2 minutes, then add the chocolate and whisk through until combined. Sift in the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth.
- For the whiskey cream, whisk the cream into soft peaks. Dissolve the icing sugar with the whiskey in a bowl and then add to the cream, folding to combine. To assemble the meringues, place one on each plate, add a spoonful of whiskey cream on top, drizzle with the chocolate sauce and sprinkle with the toasted hazelnuts.