Les Merveilleux

"Les Merveilleux" means "the marvellous ones" in French, and this dessert lives up to its name: a combination of flavours and textures that wins people over quickly. It is fairly easy to make; assembling it is a little messy, but nothing that should put you off. It tastes wonderful and looks good enough to make guests stop and stare.

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 60 mins

Rest Time 30 mins

Total Time 2 hrs

Cooking Method: baked

Cuisine: French

Courses: Desserts

Difficulty: Beginner

Servings: 16

Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Dietary: vegetarian

Description

A dessert of crisp meringue rounds sandwiched with whipped cream and rolled in chocolate sprinkles. It is fairly easy to make, only the assembly is a little messy, and the result impresses guests too.

Ingredients

Meringues

3 pc egg white (take the eggs out of the fridge at least 30 minutes beforehand)
200 g icing sugar

Cream

500 ml whipping cream
1 packet cream stabiliser (Slovenian krem fix)
1 packet vanilla sugar

For coating

50 g chocolate sprinkles
as needed chocolate (grated, for shavings)

Method

1
Take the eggs out of the fridge at least 30 minutes beforehand so they are not fridge-cold. Separate the whites into a clean bowl and whisk until stiff.
2
Gradually add the icing sugar, whisking all the time at high speed, until you have a thick, glossy, slightly sticky mixture.
3
Heat the oven to 160 °C. Line a baking tray with baking paper, "gluing" the corners down with a little meringue. Put the mixture into a piping bag and pipe rounds about 5 cm across onto the paper.
4
Bake the meringues for about an hour, then turn the oven off and leave them inside for about another half hour so they dry out well.
5
Meanwhile, prepare everything else: tip the chocolate sprinkles into one bowl, grate the chocolate into another and whip the cream in a third. Towards the end of whipping, add the cream stabiliser so that the cream is firmer and easier to shape.
6
Assemble the dessert: spread a little cream on one meringue, place a second meringue on top and spread cream over the whole thing once more.
7
Finally, roll it in the chocolate sprinkles or shavings; if you find it easier, you can simply scatter them over the top.

Note

You can serve the dessert straight away, when the contrast between the light cream and the crisp meringue is at its best.
It keeps in the fridge for up to three days, but the meringue gradually softens and loses its crispness.
Fix the baking paper at the corners with a little meringue so it does not move while you pipe.
Leave the eggs at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before whisking.