next week marks valentines day and for me that means two things- chocolate and strawberries!! sure, maybe its a bit overplayed, but i like to think of it as...classic. also when thinking of chocolate and strawberries as they relate to this particular holiday, my mind instantly goes to champagne and whipped cream. again, classic, but maybe a little bit boring?! true to how i plan out recipes, my mind kept playing with chocolate, strawberries, rosè (as i ran out of champagne) and fresh whipped cream, trying to come up with something new to do with this combination. as i was thinking through the possibilities, i remembered some egg whites just sitting in the fridge (this is classic to my line of thinking...free association). so now add egg whites to this ever growing list! finally, my mind settled on another classic - french meringues!
this recipe (like many of mine lately) started out about a year ago. meringues have always been intimating for me, so after a few failed attempts, its taken the whole year to want to make them again. after making italian meringues several times over the last few months, i felt like i was finally ready! after nailing down the base meringue, i decided to make it more fun by adding a melted chocolate swirl and baking them in muffin cups. once they cooled, i wanted to figure out a way to add the strawberries, cream and rosè. hence, the meringue filled with all three! the strawberries are macerated in the rosè with the juices used to make the fresh whipped cream. fun, easy and super delicious...these meringues are sure to make the perfect addition to your galentines, valentines or just anytime(s).
a few tips...
- egg whites should be fresh and room temperature. this ensures they whip up faster and more stable
- the mixing bowl and whisk attachment needs to be completely clean and dry before adding the eggs whites
- white vinegar is used as a stabilizing agent in this recipe. you could also use lemon juice, cornflower or cream of tartar
- you are going to want to use an electric mixer (stand or hand held) as this whole process takes 10-15 minutes of intense whipping
- use a super fine, extra fine or caster sugar in place of regular granules of sugar. the smaller the sugar, the better it dissolves into the egg whites
- add the sugar a teaspoon every 10-15 seconds. this takes a while, but its worth it! the meringue is ready once you rub meringue between your fingers and no longer feel any sugar
- meringues can be baked on a parchment lined baking sheet or in muffin lingers in a muffin pan
- chocolate should be swirled on top of the meringue just before scooping out into the muffin liners (if you stir too much, you'll end up with fully chocolate meringues)
- two large spoons should be used to get the meringues into the muffin liners. use one spoon to scoop from the bowl, the other to scrape the meringue from the spoon into the liner
- to get a nice chocolate swirl on the top of each meringue, add about a teaspoon of chocolate to the top and swirl with a toothpick on top of each meringue
- meringues are ready about 2 hours after turning off the oven, but keep well for a few days
- its completely optional to macerate the strawberries in just sugar and a splash of water, but the rosè really brings a great flavor to the strawberries and the whipped cream (so optional, but not) 😉
- if the meringues break too much to fill with the berries and cream, you can add the broken pieces to a cup, top with whipped cream, strawberries and enjoy!
chocolate swirled meringues with rosè berries and cream
Equipment
- muffin pan
- cupcake liners
- two large dinner spoons
Ingredients
chocolate swirled meringues
- 3 large egg whites, room temperature
- ¾ c caster (super fine) sugar
- ¼ tsp white vinegar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3-4oz. dark chocolate, melted
rosè strawberries and whipped cream filling
- 1 ½ c strawberries, sliced lengthwise with leaves and stems removed
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- ⅓ c rosè
- 1 c heavy whipping cream
Instructions
chcolate swirled meringues
- line a muffin pan with 8-10 muffin liners. preheat the oven to 250F
- add egg whites to a clean mixing bowl. whisk on high until the egg whites get foamy. on medium-high, add sugar a teaspoon at a time every 10-15 seconds. after adding about ¼ c of the sugar, add the white vinegar and salt. add the remaining sugar one teaspoon at a time until all the sugar has been added. adjust speed to high and beat until add the sugar has dissolved. test by rubbing meringue between your fingers. once you no longer feel sugar, its ready. melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in a microwave safe bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring unti all the chocolate has melted.
- using a spoon, drop a swirl of melted chocolate on top of the meringue. using a large spoon, scoop a generous amount of meringue onto the spoon. gently drop meringue into a muffin liner, using the second spoon to help scrape the meringue into the cup. repeat with the remaining liners until all the meringue is gone. add melted chocolate to the bowl of meringue as needed. if you want more chocolate swirl on the top of each individual meringue, swirl an additonal teaspoon on top of each meringue, using a toothpick to help create the swirl.
- place meringues into the oven for 90 minutes. at the end of the time, turn the oven off, crack the door and leave in the oven for 2-4 hours. remove from the oven, gently crack open the middle of the meringues, fill with rosè berries and whipped cream.
rosè strawberries and whipped cream
- combine strawberries, sugar and rosè in a bowl, stirring to mix well. let the berries sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour. strain berries and reserve the sugar/rosè mixture for the whipped cream.
- add heavy whipping cream into a chilled mixing bowl. whisk on low for 1 minute, gradually increasing to high speed until soft peaks form. add ¼- all the sugar/rosè mixture and return to high speed until medium-firm peaks from.
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