Delicious sweet treats

Chocolate meringues with chocolate cream

MAKES 16-20 MERINGUES

FOR THE CHOCOLATE MERINGUES:
3 egg whites
150g (5½oz) caster sugar
2 teaspoons cocoa, sieved
50 g (1¾oz) good dark chocolate, grated or chopped finely (can whiz in a food processor)
FOR THE CHOCOLATE CREAM:
100g (3½oz) chocolate
50ml (2 fl.oz) cream

Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/gas 1 and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper. In a perfectly dry, clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until almost stiff. Gradually add the sugar, whisking all the time. Stop whisking when it's very thick and will hold stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, stir together the cocoa and chocolate and gently fold into the meringue. Spoon tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared trays and quickly put into the oven before it loses any volume. Cook for 40 minutes or until they lift easily off the paper. To make the chocolate cream, gently melt the chocolate with the cream, stir to mix, pour into a bowl and let it cool; it will thicken as it cools. This can be done in advance, but don't put the chocolate cream into the fridge, as it won't be easy to spread on the meringues if you do. When the meringues and chocolate cream are cool, sandwich the meringues with a tablespoonful of the chocolate cream. These sit perfectly like this for a couple of hours. If you like, serve with some softly whipped cream.

NOTE: Ideally, meringues shouldn't be taken out of the hot oven and placed somewhere cold, as the sudden change in temperature causes them to crack. So if you can, when they're cooked just turn off the oven and let them cool down slowly.
NOTE: 1 egg white equals 25g (1oz) or 25ml (1 fl.oz), so if you can't remember how many are in that bowl in the fridge, you can measure them. Egg whites keep very well in the fridge for a couple of weeks and they also freeze well in an airtight container or tied up in a plastic bag. Just thaw out overnight in the fridge.