She’s a perfectly balanced dessert! The rich mousse melts in your mouth while the meringue gives a light, crunchy texture. Everyone around the table will help themselves to a second bowl of dessert.
INGREDIENTS
MERINGUE (Tip 1) 5 Egg whites 1 cup Castor sugar 1 tsp Vanilla essence MOUSSE 150g Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped 30g Butter 3 Large eggs, separated 2 tbsp Brandy Pinch of salt 1 ½ cup cream, whipped to soft peaks CHOCOLATE DECORATIONS (OPTIONAL) 50 Dark chocolate, finely chopped 80g Milk chocolate, roughly chopped
METHOD
MERINGUE
1. Preheat the oven to 150ºC. Prepare a baking tray with baking paper and non-stick spray (Tip 2).
2. Whisk the egg whites in a large, clean glass bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
2. Gradually add the castor sugar, one tablespoon at a time, then add the vanilla essence.
3. Whisk for another 3-5 minutes to ensure that all the sugar has dissolved.
4. Spoon the meringue mixture onto your prepared baking tray and shape.
5. Bake the meringue for 25-30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 110ºC and bake for another 10-15 minutes
until crisp and light brown. Turn off the oven and open the door slightly for the meringue to
cool down in the oven.
MOUSSE
1. Melt the dark chocolate and the butter in a medium bowl in the microwave until just melted. Stir
every 30 seconds to prevent the mixture from burning.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, brandy and salt. Keep the egg whites in a
separate glass bowl to whisk later.
3. Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the melted chocolate mixture and allow to cool down.
4. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture (Tip 3).
5. Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the
chocolate mixture.
6. Cover the mousse mixture with plastic wrap and allow to set in the fridge for 6-8 hours or
overnight.
CHOCOLATE DECORATIONS
1. Melt the milk chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave until just melted. Stir every 30
seconds.
2. Drip the melted chocolate over the cooled meringue.
ASSEMBLE
1. Spoon the set mousse on top of the meringue and top with fresh fruit like berries or dates and
the dark chocolate. Serve immediately.
TIPS
1. You can easily make individual desserts. Just shape your meringue into individual nests on the
baking tray before baking and spoon the mousse into each meringue afterwards. A piping bag helps
a lot to create even meringue nests.
2. It helps to draw a circle on your baking paper of the size you would want your meringue to be,
before spraying with non-stick spray. I drew a 20cm circle, but you can use any shape and size
you want. This gives a good guideline when spooning your meringue onto the paper.
3. Be very careful to not overwhip your cream; it can easily form a buttery texture. I always tell
myself to stop whisking cream just before you think it’s ready, because only a few seconds
longer can be too late.