Friday, August 19, 2011

Sweet sweet Friday: Giant Meringues

I went to a wedding party last weekend. The bride wore blue suede shoes and a pretend veil; I wore the proud smile of someone who had managed to carry a platter of beautiful marbled chocolate and rosewater meringues across town without breaking any of them.

Giant Chocolate Meringues



Chocolate and rosewater meringues
This is essentially the giant meringue recipe from the Ottolenghi cookbook, with a little added chocolate marbled through them for fun. Don't even think about making these without a really robust freestanding mixer - come over and I'll make them for you. The only tricky bit is pouring the hot sugar into the egg whites - don't try this with small children or pets underfoot. This is my entry for August's We Should Cocoa blogging event, in which the special guest ingredient is rose.

600g caster sugar
300g egg whites (I find this is about 8 large free-range ones), at room temperature
2tsp rosewater
75g dark chocolate, melted and cooled (but not cold)

Preheat the oven to 200C and spread the sugar on a large roasting dish lined with baking paper. Put the dish into the oven and leave for about 10 minutes, or until you can see the sugar start to melt at the edges.  While the sugar is in the oven, put the egg whites into the bowl of a freestanding mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Just before the sugar is ready, start the machine on high speed and let the whites froth up.
Carefully pour the hot sugar onto the whites in a slow, steady stream (with the machine still whisking), then add the rosewater. Keep beating on high speed for about 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick, silky and billowing. It should hold its shape when you lift a spoonful from the bowl (make sure you turn the machine OFF before you dip a spoon in!).
Turn the oven down to 110C and line two baking trays with baking paper. Gently marble the melted chocolate through the meringue mixture and scoop large blobs onto the prepared trays. Keep in mind that they will double in size in the oven, so leave plenty of space between them. You should make 10-12. Carefully place in the oven and bake for about two hours, until the outsides are completely firm but the centres are still a little soft. A little chocolate will leak from the bottom - don't panic, this is normal. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before storing in a cool, dry place until you can no longer resist them.

Have a sweet, sweet Friday, everyone. I'm off to eat and drink my way around the Hunter Valley! Pin It

14 comments:

  1. What a great addition to a wedding. Just lovely ;0)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lately I have this craving for rosewater dessert and this looks fantastic. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love Mr O's meringues and these look really good.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Interesting combination chocolate and rosewater in meringue:)What is pretend veil?

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG those look amazing! Hot sugar too, you certainly pulled that off, I've never tried it. I was wondering what a pretend veil was too!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sounds like an amazing wedding...wish I could have seen the bride...blue shoes...awesome!

    Those meringues look amazing...I don't think I've ever made a meringue...I always imagine that they are a bit too sweet but I think chocolate would be a great addition and we always have a bottle of rosewater in the cupboard...(I'm not sure what I'm supposed to use it for but relatives always send it to us!)

    Have an amazing weekend...sounds like fun...

    ReplyDelete
  7. when i nannied in islington my charge and i used to walk by ottolenghi everyday and press our noses up against the window...the day I bought him one of their meringues he almost died of excitement and the sugar rush...i have never seen wider more sparkly eyes on anyone!! What fantastic thing to take to a wedding party!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wow, they look amazing! Love the way they peak and the chocolate marbling!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh wow they are marvellous and an extra treat for those at the wedding party.

    I'll come on over and you can make me some :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oh my goodness - these look incredible. Am currently on a boring no sugar, no anything diet, so I am having to get my fix through other means. Yum! Ellie

    ReplyDelete
  11. These are absolutely stunning. They look like something out of a fairy tale. Now I'm wishing I had a freestanding mixer... trying to figure a way of working around that! Hope you're enjoying your time away :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Very happy to come over if you're going to make me a batch of these. They look fantastical with that marbling and peaking and I bet they tasted really good with the rose too. Haven't heard of making meringues this way before. I'm wondering what difference it makes to the finished product? Thanks for participating.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh this looks absolutely gorgeoous. Really cant wait to try it. Meringues are a bit of a pet peeve but with this recipe I think I am in good hands. Btw, if I were to half the entire recipe, the result would still be indulgent, right?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow these look amazing! I always admire these giant meringues when I walk past Ottolenghi but have never tried them or tried making them myself. Am bookmarking this recipe to try. What a lovely gift to bring to a wedding party. I'm glad they arrived in one piece!

    ReplyDelete

Hello - thanks for stopping by. If this was real life I'd make you a cup of tea and open the biscuit tin, but in lieu of those things, let's have a chat anyway...