Chocolate Meringues
Meringue-making can be a pain in the ass, and the first time I tried to make these was a disastrous failure. I added the cacao in with the other ingredients and tried whisking, but the egg whites wouldn't take up any air and I ended up with a very drab, very pointless, very dark brown mixture.
But I wasn't about to give up, so poured the gunk down the drain and tried again. The second time round I tried adding the cacao afterwards - a little bit at a time. That version actually looked like meringues, but they didn't taste right. Too much cacao. So I tried again. Below is the recipe that worked.
Ingredients (makes about 20):
2 large egg whites
110g sugar
pinch of maizena (corn starch)
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
12g cacao
Pre-heat the oven to 100° Celsius.
Instructions:
1. Before you start, make sure your utensils are clean and grease-free. Wipe down the metal of your whisk and bowl with vinegar and dry with a paper towel.
2. Begin this recipe just as you would if you were going to make regular meringues: add the egg whites, sugar, maizena, salt and vinegar and whisk, first at medium speed for a minute or two, then at high speed for another two minutes - until your egg whites are an even white colour, all the sugar is dissolved, and peaks form that are stable enough to keep standing.
3. At this point, add 1/3 of the cacao to the mixture by pouring it through a sieve (to remove any chunks and loosen the cacao), and fold into the egg whites. You don't want the meringue mixture to lose any air, so fold slowly and gently. When done, repeat with the next 1/3, and again with the last 1/3 of cacao.
4. Using two spoons, place little peaked circles of the mixture on a tray or rack covered in baking paper. You can also use a silicon baking sheet - I use mine for everything from pizzas to desserts and it works wonderfully. An added benefit is not having to rely on baking paper, which I can't seem to find in any of the supermarkets in my neighbourhood.
5. Place in the oven for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. If they are still wet after that, leave them 30 minutes longer. When done, remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
But I wasn't about to give up, so poured the gunk down the drain and tried again. The second time round I tried adding the cacao afterwards - a little bit at a time. That version actually looked like meringues, but they didn't taste right. Too much cacao. So I tried again. Below is the recipe that worked.
Ingredients (makes about 20):
2 large egg whites
110g sugar
pinch of maizena (corn starch)
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
12g cacao
Pre-heat the oven to 100° Celsius.
Instructions:
1. Before you start, make sure your utensils are clean and grease-free. Wipe down the metal of your whisk and bowl with vinegar and dry with a paper towel.
2. Begin this recipe just as you would if you were going to make regular meringues: add the egg whites, sugar, maizena, salt and vinegar and whisk, first at medium speed for a minute or two, then at high speed for another two minutes - until your egg whites are an even white colour, all the sugar is dissolved, and peaks form that are stable enough to keep standing.
3. At this point, add 1/3 of the cacao to the mixture by pouring it through a sieve (to remove any chunks and loosen the cacao), and fold into the egg whites. You don't want the meringue mixture to lose any air, so fold slowly and gently. When done, repeat with the next 1/3, and again with the last 1/3 of cacao.
4. Using two spoons, place little peaked circles of the mixture on a tray or rack covered in baking paper. You can also use a silicon baking sheet - I use mine for everything from pizzas to desserts and it works wonderfully. An added benefit is not having to rely on baking paper, which I can't seem to find in any of the supermarkets in my neighbourhood.
5. Place in the oven for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. If they are still wet after that, leave them 30 minutes longer. When done, remove from the oven and cool on a rack.
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