Plated Meringue Desserts

Method

Chocolate Meringue 

1. Preheat the oven to 80C/175F non-fan assisted. 

2. For this design, I used the Silikomart sf098 silicon mold. I use scissors to carefully cut out each cylinder individually, then use a pastry brush and lightly grease them with a neutral oil. Alternatively, you can use a ring mold, that is lightly greased, and then cover it neatly with a sheet of parchment/baking paper. 

3. Into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.

4. Place this over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk constantly until it reaches around 50C (122F) on a digital thermometer.

5. Immediately remove it from the heat and place it onto the stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk for 3-5 minutes on a medium high speed, until it is thick, glossy and holds a stiff peak. 

6. Into a medium bowl, sift together the icing/powdered sugar and cocoa powder so that they are evenly combined.

7. Tip this mixture on top of the meringue and incorporate it with a whisk, then gently finish it, by folding it with a spatula until there are no more streaks. 

8. Add the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a small leaf tip nozzle.

9. Place the lightly greased cylinder onto a rotating cake stand (you will need help to spin this!) or an electric spinning wheel (I use a child’s clay pottery wheel). Starting at the bottom and applying even pressure, pipe tight lines, slowly moving the nozzle up until the meringue covers the entire cylinder. 

10. Place a palette knife carefully underneath the mold and then lift it onto a lined baking tray. Repeat this with the remaining molds – you should have enough meringue to make 6.

11. Pinch a few black sesame seeds in between your finger tips, and flick them onto the meringue so they stick to the outside. We just want a light coating. 

12. Place them into the oven and bake for 3 hours. Once the time is up, turn the oven off and open the door and leave them in there to cool for 1-2 hours before attempting to remove them. They need to cool completely and then they will lift off easily. These can also be made a few days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container. 

Chocolate Brownie

1. Lightly grease a 13×9” baking tray and line the base and sides with parchment paper. Meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 160C/320F non-fan assisted. 

2. Into a medium bowl, add the chocolate and butter. Melt this over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally, and then remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool for 5 minutes.

3. Into a medium bowl, add the egg, sugar and salt and whisk for 30 seconds to combine.

4. Pour in the melted chocolate mixture and whisk to combine. 

5. Add in the flour and whisk just until there are no more streaks of dry ingredients.

6. Pour the batter into the lined tin, spreading it to the edges with a palette knife. Place the tray into the centre of the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes or until the mixture has just set. 

7. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for a minimum of 2-3 hours. 

Black Sesame Praline

1. Preheat the oven to 175C/345F. 

2. Pour the black sesame seeds onto a baking tray, and roast these for 10 minutes in the pre-heated oven. 

3. Remove the tray from the oven and allow them to cool. 

4. Into a medium saucepan, add the water followed by the sugar.

5. Place this on a medium heat and cook it until it reaches a deep golden brown colour. If you need to stir it, do this once it has turned a light golden colour. 

6. Once a deep golden brown colour, tip in the toasted sesame seeds and stir to combine. 

7. Work quickly and immediately tip the mixture onto a silicon baking mat.

8. Add a pinch of flaky salt on top and allow it to set for 30-60 minutes at room temperature or until it has set firm.

9. Break the mixture into a high powdered food processor and blend for 30-60 seconds. Scrape down the sides while still blending, slowly trickle in the neutral oil, just enough until it is a slightly looser texture. You don’t want to add too much oil as this can overpower the taste so use as little as possible. If you have a really high powered food processor you may not need any oil at all, but it will need to be blended for quite some time to get it to a looser consistency. 

10. Transfer the smooth mixture to a bowl and set aside. 

Assembly & Mascarpone Cream

1. Carefully lift the cooled meringue off of the molds and set them to one side.

2. Remove the brownie from the fridge, and using a cookie cutter, cut discs, about the same size as the hole in your meringue cylinder. I like to stack two discs of meringue together. 

3. Carefully press the brownie disc into the bottom of the meringue, then lift it onto your serving plate. 

4. Add the black sesame praline to a piping bag, and pipe a small spiral of it on top of the brownie. 

5. Finally, add the mascarpone, icing/powdered sugar, cream and beans scraped from a fresh vanilla pod, to the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk on a medium speed until it forms medium-soft peaks. Be very careful not to overwhisk this, it needs to be quite a soft texture. 

6. Add that mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip nozzle.

7. Pipe the cream into the meringue shell, filling it all the way to the top.

8. Finish with a light dusting of cocoa powder, and then serve immediately.