INTRODUCTION
I prepared this special dessert for our wedding anniversaries… A rather easy to prepare dessert with great taste..
I have decided to prepare this because of its simple ingredients and ability to prepare it in small batches… It is rather fast and fuss free..
The word meringue suggested that it is prepared from whipped egg whites and sugar, bake at a rather low temperature until crispy and I have selected to use chocolate mousse for its fillings.
When I posted the picture in Facebook Group, many members thought that it is pavlova, another meringue based dessert. Pavlova are much bigger and the the centre is not empty like meringue nest. The word nest suggests that it has a nest like structure, empty in the centre.. If you are interested to read more about pavlova, you can refer to this post: Is Pavlova Originated From Australia, Russia or New Zealand?–Strawberry and Blueberry Pavlova
WHAT IS REQUIRED
Servings: About 4 meringue nests
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2 egg whites
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125 grams of castor sugar
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250 grams or ml of whipping cream
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60 grams of castor sugar
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60 grams of dark chocolate
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Some fresh fruits for garnishing
STEPS OF PREPARATION
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Pre-heat the oven to 150 degree Celsius
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In a baking tray. have a piece of baking/parchment paper. Mark the baking paper with four 10 cm circles. Set aside for later use.
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In a mixing bowl, add egg white and beat until soft peak form. Add in castor sugar spoon by spoon and continue to beat until the egg white is thick and glossy. Do not over beat the egg whites.
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Spread one tablespoon of meringue evenly over the circle as the base of the nest (with about 5 mm thickness) . Put the remaining meringue on a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm star nozzle. Pipe the meringue on the edge of the meringue circles to make the nest .
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Bake the meringue for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden. Off the heat and let the oven to cool completely inside the oven. Once cooled, remove the meringue from the tray and store in an air tight container.
Preparation of Rich Chocolate Mousse
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Heat the dark chocolate in a microwave oven for about 30 –45 seconds until it melts. If you do not have a microwave oven, heat the chocolate over a bowl of hot water and stir until it melts. Set aside for later use.
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Whipped the cream and castor sugar until soft peak form.
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Transfer 1/3 (one third) of the cream to the melted chocolate. Stir until well combined. Transfer the chocolate mixture to the remaining 2/3 (two third) of cream, use a spatula to fold until well combined. Cover and chilled for 1-2 hours until the mousse is firm. Once firmed, scoop some chocolate mousse onto the meringue nests and garnished with fresh fruits. Serve immediately to ensure crispiness of the the meringue.
CONCLUSION
This is a simple but presentable dessert with awesome taste. Possibly you will like to prepare it for some special occasion? Do not be overly concerned about the sweetness of the meringue and the mousse. Both can be adjusted downwards slightly to your liking. However, for meringue, please take note the lower the sugar content, the more difficult to achieve firm peak form. Therefore, the shape may be slightly compromised since it is softer and more difficult to stand on its own. But I believe this should not be a deterrence to those who are seeking to a low sugar diet.
Hope you like the post today. Cheers and have a nice day.
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