As if the combination of a crisp outer shell and pillowy-soft interior of meringues wasn’t tempting enough, we added swirls of salted caramel paired with melted dark chocolate to temper the sweetness.

My favourite meringue recipe came to me, handwritten, on a small piece of notepaper from my friend, Pamela, who introduced me to the textural delight of chewy meringues. She served them as pairs, sandwiched together with fresh, unsweetened whipped cream in the middle. Pure bliss.

That little piece of paper was sadly lost long ago, but the recipe I use now is very close to the same. Originally a pavlova recipe, I just simply spoon smaller individual dollops for each–essentially making mini pavlovas which, instead of swirling with chocolate and caramel, I also serve classically with whipped cream and berries or roasted fruit.

Before making the meringue, you’ll want to have made (and cooled) the salted caramel sauce. It needs to be liquid enough to drizzle into the meringue mixture, but not hot. David Lebovitz’s salted butter caramel sauce is incredibly delicious and simple to make, as is this recipe, which I’ve made many times with success.

Next, coordinate melting the chocolate with the making of the meringues. The key is to have the chocolate liquid, like the caramel, but not piping hot. Melt the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over gently simmering water and then remove from the heat for several minutes to cool slightly.

Now the fun part. Drizzle some of the caramel and chocolate over the top of the meringue mixture (still in the mixer bowl) then, resisting the urge to stir, scoop generous dollops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. The chocolate and caramel will swirl through the meringue with the motion of the spoon as you scoop. Add as much or as little of the chocolate and caramel as you like, remembering that there should be enough meringue to hold shape when baked.

Enjoy!

x

Gayle