The midnight meringue
This decadent dessert would
make an impressive finish to a dinner party. You could bake the tart
case and make the filling ahead of time and whip up the meringue at the
last minute.
Ingredients
- For the chocolate pastry
-
- 300g/10½oz plain flour
- 40g/1½oz cocoa powder
- 175g/6oz caster sugar
- 175g/6oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp milk
- For the mocha filling
-
- 250g/9oz good quality dark chocolate, chopped
- 6 free-range egg yolks
- 200g/7oz caster sugar
- 70g/2½oz cornflour
- 1 litre/1¾ pints milk
- 2 tbsp espresso coffee powder
- For the treacle meringue
-
- 5 free-range egg whites
- pinch salt
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp granulated sugar
- 15g/½oz powdered egg white
- 175ml/6fl oz treacle
- 100g/3½oz caster sugar
- 100ml/3½fl oz water
Preparation method
-
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Grease a 30cm/12in tart tin.
-
For the pastry, place the flour, cocoa powder and
caster sugar in a food processor, add the butter and pulse until the
mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the milk and blend again until the
mixture just comes together. Remove the pastry from the food processor
and press it into the bottom and sides of tart tin.
-
Line the tart case with tin foil, fill with baking
beans and bake blind for 10 - 15 minutes. Remove the baking beans and
foil, cover the edge of the tart case with foil to prevent burning, and
return to the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove the tart case from the oven
and set aside to cool.
-
For the mocha filling, melt the chocolate in a
microwave or in a bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water.
Whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour until pale and creamy.
-
Heat the milk and coffee powder until just
simmering, then whisk into the egg mixture until well combined. Pour
the mixture into the saucepan and cook over a gentle heat, stirring all
the time, until the mixture has thickened enough to coat the back of a
spoon. Whisk in the melted chocolate, then pour the mixture into the
pastry case and transfer to the fridge for 1-2 hours.
-
For the meringue, place the egg whites, salt and
lemon juice in the bowl of a food mixer, whisk slowly until frothy, then
turn up the speed and whisk until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Mix
the granulated sugar and egg white powder together then gradually add to
the egg whites, whisking all the time, until the mixture is smooth and
glossy.
-
Heat the treacle, sugar and water in a small pan to
110C/225F then pour into the egg whites in a thin stream, whisking
until the bowl is cool and the meringue mixture is stiff.
-
Spread a thin layer of meringue over the surface of
the pie to cover the filling completely then pipe the remaining
meringue on top. Using a blow torch, lightly brown the meringue and
serve immediately.
