MERINGUE & CHOCOLATE KISSES
Makes 15 Meringues sandwiched together with dark chocolate can be seen, in various delightful manifestations, piled high in the windows of pasticcerie. We call them baci in gondola, which means ‘kisses upon a gondola’, and there is indeed something at once romantic and indulgent about these treats. I like to make mine overblown and messy rather than delicate like the ones you see in shops. But then, as you will have gathered, I am a firm believer in homemade looking homemade. The meringue recipe will give you meringues that are crisp on the outside and a little gooey, almost like marshmallow, on the inside. If you prefer them crisp and dry all the way through, increase the cooking time by 10 minutes. ½ lemon 6 large eggwhites 300g caster sugar 150g dark chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 140°C. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Draw 15 circles, roughly 5cm in diameter, on each sheet of baking paper, allowing plenty of space between them. Turn paper over, so you can still see circles, and use as a template for meringues. Rub a large mixing bowl with cut side of lemon half to cut through any grease. Add eggwhites to bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, whisk eggwhites on a low–medium speed for 1–2 minutes or until they begin to froth. Increase speed to high. Add caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating constantly until eggwhites become glossy and stiff peaks form. Using a piping bag fitted with a fluted nozzle, pipe meringue into templates on baking paper. Alternatively, spoon dollops of meringue into templates, using 2 spoons to shape them loosely. Bake for 1 hour, then turn oven off. Leave meringues in oven, without opening door, for 1 hour or until oven is cool. Remove meringues from oven and set aside on trays to cool completely. Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl, then set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (ensure bowl doesn’t touch water). Stir occasionally with a metal spoon until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from heat. Take a meringue by tip and dip its fat little bottom into melted chocolate. Sandwich it together with another meringue of a similar size. Gently lay meringue sandwich on its side on a wire rack until chocolate sets. If it’s a very warm day or you want to speed up the setting process, pop meringues in fridge for 5–10 minutes. The assembled meringues are best eaten sooner rather than later, although they will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.