Light, crisp and crumbly meringues with chocolate, softly whipped cream, and banana slices – could there be anything nicer? I always think meringues are far tastier than macarons. Meringues are much simpler to make for one, and virtually fool proof. No complicated processes or aging of egg whites, and they can be whipped up in minutes. I wanted to add another flavor to my simple meringues, and decided to drizzle on some rick dark chocolate. The dark bitter chocolate is perfect with the sweet crispy meringues and makes them a touch more decadent. I served these chocolate meringues with some lightly whipped cream and fresh banana slices – fresh raspberries or orange segments would be delicious too. It’s a really simple dessert to make and looks and tastes a dream. If you wanted to make these meringues ahead of time, they will keep well in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Ingredients
• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp cornflour
• 6 oz of castor sugar
• 1 oz of dark chocolate
• Small carton of cream
• Bananas
Method
Preheat your oven to 150 degrees Celsius / 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin by lining two large baking sheets with grease-proof paper. In a large clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they are light and fluffy. Next, add the cornflour and the vinegar. Whisk again and then gradually add the castor sugar, whisking all the time. Once the sugar is incorporated and your eggs whites form glossy stiff peaks you are ready to go. Using a spatula, spoon the meringue into a piping bag with a round nozzle. At this point melt the chocolate.
Pipe the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet. This recipe makes about 25-30 meringues, so you will need the two baking sheets. Finally drizzle the melted chocolate over the meringues with a spoon. Put the meringues in the oven and cook for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to rest in the oven for thirty minutes. This will prevent them from cracking.
Once the meringues have cooled, remove them from the baking sheet and leave to cool further on a wire rack. Whip the cream and slice the bananas. Put a spoon of whipped cream onto the flat side of one meringue, add some banana slices and sandwich with another meringue. Best served straight away.
