Name: Chocolate meringue and mousse layers
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: Bake
Ingredients: 4.00 eggs white; 250.00 ml castor sugar; 40.00 ml cocoa powder; 0.00 mousse; 5.00 ml Sheridans gelatine; 8.00 ml water; 60.00 ml hazelnuts toasted, finely chopped; 150.00 g dark chocolate baking, melted; 4.00 eggs just the yolks; 20.00 ml brandy; 300.00 ml cream; 50.00 g dark chocolate baking, melted; 0.00 icing sugar sifted

Recipe Disclaimer

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Ingredients (13)

MERINGUE

4.00	eggs — white
250.00 ml	castor sugar
40.00 ml	cocoa powder
0.00	mousse
5.00 ml	Sheridans gelatine
8.00 ml	water
60.00 ml	hazelnuts — toasted, finely chopped
150.00 g	dark chocolate — baking, melted
4.00	eggs — just the yolks
20.00 ml	brandy
300.00 ml	cream

TO COMPLETE

50.00 g	dark chocolate — baking, melted
0.00	icing sugar — sifted

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Method:

Preheat the oven to 120 &degC. Line four baking sheets with baking paper and draw nine circles of 10 cm diameter on the paper.
MERINGUE
Beat the egg whites in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks form.
Add the castor sugar gradually, beating after each addition until the sugar has dissolved.
Sift the cocoa over and fold in with a metal spoon.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag with a 12 mm nozzle and pipe a meringue disc onto each circle.
Pipe the rest of the mixture into 30 cm sausages.
Bake for one hour until dry. Switch off the oven, open the door and leave the meringue inside to cool.
Cut the meringue sausages into shorter pieces while hot.
MOUSSE
Sprinkle the gelatine over the water in a cup and stand for five minutes.
Dissolve over boiling water, stirring until the gelatine has dissolved. Cool.
In a large bowl combine gelatine mixture with the nuts, melted chocolate, egg yolks and brandy.
Beat the cream until soft peaks form and fold in two batches into the chocolate mixture. Cover and refrigerate until set.
TO COMPLETE
Make chocolate lace from the melted chocolate.
Break into smaller pieces as soon as it has hardened.
Place three meringue discs on dessert plates and spread with one third of the mousse.
Repeat the layers of meringue and mousse, ending with a mousse layer.
Chill in the fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Decorate the top with meringue pieces and chocolate lace just before serving and sprinkle with sifted icing sugar.