Chocolate Fig And Walnut Meringue Food

FIG AND CHOCOLATE MERINGUES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to (150°C/130°C fan-forced) Or 300°F Line 3 oven trays with baking paper.
• Put egg whites and the few drops of vinegar in a clean bowl. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form, then gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time. Gently fold through figs, chocolate and hazelnuts.
• Drop tablespoons of mixture onto trays, about 3cm apart. Bake for about 40 minutes or until dry to touch. Turn off oven. Leave in the oven with the door slightly ajar for about an hour. This lets the centres dry out a bit more.
• NOTE1: To toast hazelnuts - Preheat oven to (180C) 350°F In a cookie sheet, toast hazelnuts in one layer in middle of oven 5 to 10 minutes, or until lightly colored and skins start to crack open. Wrap nuts in a clean dish towel and let steam 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skins (don't worry about skins that don't come off) and cool completely.
• NOTE 2: The meringues are a bit crumbly, so next time I am going to bake them in pretty mini muffin papers, just on a cookie sheet. They taste fantastic, but look a bit bland. So I am going to put a bit of melted chocolate on the top and then top with a toasted hazelnut.

AUNT GRETA'S WALNUT MERINGUES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Whip the egg white with a whip attachment until stiff.
• Add the sugar, cinnamon, and salt and continue whipping until stiff and glossy. Fold in the walnuts.
• Drop by spoonfuls onto a parchment lined sheet pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool and remove from the pan. Store in an airtight container.

CHOCOLATE, FIG AND WALNUT MERINGUE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 150C. Chop the chocolate, finely slice the figs and roughly chop the walnuts. Mix together with the vanilla and the cornflour.
• Beat the egg whites with electric beaters until stiff, add the vinegar and half of the sugar and beat well. Continue beating while adding a spoonful of the remaining sugar at a time until the meringue is glossy.
• Fold in the chocolate, fig and walnut mixture, then spoon the mixture on to baking paper and bake for 1 hour. Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream.

MERINGUES, CHOCOLATE WALNUT

Steps:

• Directions
• 1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• 2. In a medium, clean, grease-free bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar and whip until soft peaks form. Add sugar gradually, whipping until stiff but not dry peaks form. Beat in vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by generously rounded teaspoon 2 inches apart on cookie sheets.
• 3. Bake until completely firm and dry, but still white, about 25 minutes; you should be able to lift cookies from pan. Slide parchment onto racks to cool cookies completely.

CHOCOLATE & WALNUT PAVLOVA WITH MADEIRA & TANGERINES

Steps:

• Roughly chop the tangerines. In a bowl, toss the tangerines with the madeira until thoroughly coated, then set aside to macerate.
• Heat othe oven to 110C/90C fan/gas ¼. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl or stand mixer until soft peaks form. Without stopping whisking, gradually add the sugar and whisk until thick and glossy, then whisk in the vinegar too. Toss the walnuts in the melted chocolate, then fold into the egg so the meringue is marbled with chocolate.
• Spread a circle of the chocolate and walnut meringue about 20-25cm in diameter on each baking sheet. Bake for 2 hrs until crisp but slightly soft in the middle - don't worry if it cracks; it will still taste delicious. Remove from the oven and carefully lift the meringues and parchment onto wire racks to cool. Peel the parchment from the meringues, then use a wide palette knife to lift one meringue onto a serving platter or cake stand.
• Whip the cream to soft peaks, being careful not to over whip. Fold in half the tangerines and the madeira used to soak them. Spread just over half the cream mixture onto the meringue, then top with the other layer of meringue, the remaining cream and the rest of the tangerines. Sprinkle over the grated dark chocolate and serve. Can be made a day ahead and chilled in the fridge.

POLISH CHOCOLATE & WALNUT CAKE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3½. Line a 30 x 22cm shallow baking tin with baking parchment. Sift the flour and mix it with cocoa, then set aside. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then add the sugar to them in small batches. Add the egg yolks, one by one, whisking constantly. Tip in the flour mixture and gently fold everything together with a spatula. Pour the prepared batter into the lined tin and bake for 35 mins. Cool for 5 mins, remove from the tin and re-line the tin with baking parchment.
• To make the meringue, whisk the whites until stiff, then gradually whisk in the sugar, one tablespoon at a time. When you have a stiff and shiny meringue, fold in the finely chopped walnuts, flour and star t ch. Spread the mixture into the re-lined tin and cook for 40 mins on the same heat. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
• For the chocolate glaze, heat the cream over low heat, then remove from the heat, pour the chopped chocolate into it and mix it until it melts and becomes shiny.
• Cut the cooled chocolate sponge cake and meringue into two layers. Put the nut meringue on top of the bottom layer of sponge and sprinkle on some of the reserved walnuts. Add another layer of meringue and then the upper layer of chocolate sponge cake and cover the top with chocolate glaze. Decorate with walnuts. Put the finished cake in the fridge for 1-2 hrs before serving.