Some of my posts are so old now, I almost feel I should wait until next year to publish them. This one I made about seven weeks ago, when strawberries (remember them?) were still just about in season. I had been given Dan Lepard’s recipe for Chocolate Honey Meringue by a friend, who kindly cuts out any chocolate recipes she comes across in the Guardian for me. Said friend was coming to dinner, so wouldn’t it be a good idea to make this meringue? When I looked at the recipe properly, however, there seemed to be an awful lot of sugar in it. I’d also read on other blogs that they turned out rather hard and they weren’t that impressed. A meringue recipe, I would have to find elsewhere. I did a quick hunt through my books and discovered marbled chocolate meringues in Linda Collister’s Divine. This was more like it. Instead of making lots of small ones, I opted for one large pavlova style meringue.
As it was rather a long time ago now, this is what I think I did!
- Melted 100g 70% dark chocolate in a bowl over hot water, then left to cool.
- Whisked 3 eggs whites and a pinch of cream of tarter until stiff.
- Added 175g caster sugar and whisked until stiff and glossy.
- Using a tablespoon, slowly folded in the chocolate until a marble effect was created.
- Heaped the meringue onto a baking sheet covered in non-stick paper and smoothed out into a rough round.
- Scattered over a handful of slivered almonds.
- Baked at 120C for 2 hours.
- Left to cool, then removed from the tray and peeled off the paper.
- Whisked 200ml double cream until thick.
- Stirred several raspberries into the cream (quantities now forgotten).
- At this point, I realised that the meringue had risen up with a very thin top layer that wouldn’t bear any weight – oh bother!
- As soon as I pressed it slightly the top started to break up. So I took this top layer off.
- Spooned the raspberries and cream on top of what was left of the meringue.
- Covered the cream with de-hulled and quartered strawberries and a few more raspberries.
- Covered the fruit with the bits of meringue top that I had previously removed.
Perhaps this was not the most elegant of party pieces, but I have to say it is one of the most delicious desserts I’ve made – certainly in recent times. I do love meringue and cream. It had a lovely crisp crunch from the outside and was darkly chocolatey and sticky inside. The sharp fruit and the sweet meringue hit the palate first, then the richness of the cream and chocolate came through giving a real sense of decadent luxury – yum. If someone wanted to make me a pudding (if only), this is the one I would choose. I think the others enjoyed it too 🙂
A wonderful delicious summery recipe.
wow looks amazing!
Freerangegirl, you made me laugh. I like to think most of the things I make are quite healthy, but I guess you’ve caught me out with this one – and please don’t scrutinise the others too closely!
Really! – your blog should come with a health warnin… How can I not make it after seeing how delicious it looks! Husband is agreeing vehemently at this moment!
Dom – thanks. I’ve yet to have whoope pie, perhaps I can now claim I have.
Kath – thanks, that’s high praise coming from you, Queen of Puddings. Not sure how to play it with my older posts, so am currently doing an older one interspersed with a newer one.
Chele – I think you are very wise, it does go particularly well with summer fruit.
Cakelaw – thanks, certainly not me.
Johanna – lucky you growing up with a pav queen – chocolate or no chocolate. And lucky you having berries to look forward to so soon.
Jo Romero – thank you. I’m sure you’ll manage something a little more elegant than mine, but it certainly tasted great.
Suelle – I’m guessing the hardness was because Dan’s recipe had so much sugar in? But Eton mess sounds like it’s worth hanging out for.
Jac – thanks, scrumptious describes it exactly.
Kate – thanks for the balsamic tip. When you say raspberries instead of chocolate, do you mean the raspberries were cooked in the meringue itself?
Hazel – thank you. You’ve probably gathered by now that elegant isn’t really my thing. Am happy with rusticity though.
Rhyleysgranny – thanks, from disaster arose success.
Manu – thank you
CC, it was meant to be a bit mor marbled than it actually was, but I mixed the chocolate in a bit too much.
Aforkful – thanks. As I can hear the rain lashing down on the roof right now, summer seems a long time gone.
Joanna – summer does have a habit of disappearing fast, but the comfort is, it will be back before we know it (or maybe that’s not such a comfort after all). With the rain lashing down outside, steamed puds sound quite tempting – perhaps not for breakfast though.
Ananda – thanks, glad to know I’m not the only one whose behind with posts.
Ceia – you are kind. You’re son is a very lucky young man, I would love to have grown up eating chocolate meringue – not, I hasten to add, that I did too badly on the pudding front. Uncook? ha ha – couldn’t have got you’re creative genius more wrong.
Thanks BVG
CityHippy – can understand the nerves, things rarely turn out just how you imagine them – for me anyway. But am sure you will produce a most delicious meringue.
MangoCheeks – I know you’re not the greatest of chocolate fans, so such nice comments mean a lot, thank you – and am most honoured to get the splendicious tag
No – don’t wait to publish them next year as you’ll just be in-undated with recipes. Just bring them on, so we can drool. I too would have opted for a pavlova one, rather than small fussy ones. Looks absolutely ‘splendicious!’ a word my husband coined recently for some reason, so I choose to use it fo rthe first time on your blog. It looks both splendid and delicious!
Perfect. I’m embarking on something similar this weekend, my first meringue and I’m a littttle bit nervous…looks delicious Choclette.
It looks utterly delicious!
Dom’s right – it’s great to have a bit of summeriness on these bleak days.
Chocolate meringue is one of the greatest baking treats ever invented. My youngest son would be content if I never baked anything else! You’ve taken it to a whole new level, Choc, your chocolate pav looks sublime!
PS. My verification word is “uncook”!!! 🙂
Oh i have too many post in my hard drive waiting to be published am sure many of them will be coming next year and meringue looks brilliant wanna jump on it right away 🙂
What a beautiful reminder of the summer! Where did it go Choclette? I’m not ready for steamed puddings yet….
What a party piece! Mmm… brings back memories of rather warmer, more pleasant times than we’re having now! Looks and sounds fab.
I’ve never made a chocolate meringue – it looks beautiful. I love the slightly marbled look of it
Wow, looks so beautiful and yummy!
This looks so tempting. I have never made a chocolate pav. I love the way it is topped with the bits of meringue.
Perhaps not the most elegant, but beautiful with its rusticity 🙂
Hi Choclette, this is very similar to one that I do from Nigella’s Forever Summer book – her is with raspberries rather than chocs – it’s a stunning dessert and looks impressive but is dead easy! Her meringue has a spoonful of balsamic vinegar in vinegar is supposed to be good to hold a meringue but I feel it gives it a certain kick too!
I am drooling looking at that plateful of scrumptiousness Choclette 🙂
I’m one of those with a freezer full of rock hard chocolate meringues from Dan Lepard’s recipe. I think they will be used in an Eton mess type of recipe, where they have a chance to soften a bit. I’m glad your version worked out better – it looks magnificent!
OMG my husband LOVES meringue and he’s been on at me to make some for ages – you’ve now inspired me with this post! Chocolate meringue – looks gorgeous. Thanks for posting 🙂
wow I love all that chocolate – my mum is the pav queen but it is always a bit too vanilla for me. But chocolate and berries is just my thing
And I love some “unseasonal” recipes from you because our berries are just coming into season
Who can resist a chocolate raspberry meringue? It looks magnificent.
Oh how I miss Strawberries ;0(
I’ve had a chocolate pav on my things to make list for quite some time now but after seeing your creation with all those wonderful strawberries I think I’ll pop it on the back burner till there is some lovely fresh summer fruit to do it justice.
Looks just fantastic!
You and me both Choclette, I have posts backing up like nobody’s business. I agree with Dom, it’s good to see strawberries and have a memory of the summer. It also looks damn fine and sounds delicious.
oh I love it… it’s like a taste of summer on this gloomy and cold weekend… this is like a giant whoopie pie! lovely x