Some dishes are born as a mere afterthought- aqua cotta, watermelon rind chutney, and often any kind of meringue anything. When making a batch of egg-yolk rich hand rolled pasta (as we did this weekend), three egg whites are left over. Happily that's just enough for a pavlova, some macaroons, or a few playful, over-sized soft centered tender meringues. Nothing against sugar, but a plain meringue by its nature is terribly sweet- that's whey they are nicer in pavlova, tempered by tangy fruit and rich whipped cream, than they are on their own. Reduce the sugar in meringues, and they simply turn into a slightly sweet tan-colored baked tough and soggy egg-white omelette (I have made lots of these). They are so wonderful for their texture- crisp and shattering and, if you like, tender in the middle. And their size- they are so airy that giant ones are delightful. The firm, shiny meringue is also a joy to shape- all pristine perfectly piped refinement, or casual billowy mounds.
The perfect foil to the airiness and almost deafening sweetness? Rich, salty peanuts, ground into a coarse dust, and some golden toasted dried coconut. I stirred in as much as the batter would take, and the meringues kept their beguiling loft as the sugar percentage plummeted (about 17 g per now very substantial and satisfying meringue- not counting the chocolate coating- just as much as you need to turn an espresso at a bar in Rome into a foamy coffee syrup shot, and who given the chance has not done that?).
We will need:
3 egg whites
150 g/ 3/4 C sugar
100 g/ about 1 C roasted salted skinless peanuts, coarsely ground
75 g/ about 1 C dried coconut, toasted until golden if you like
200 g/ 7 oz. dark or milk chocolate, as you like.
Put the peanuts in a small food processor and pulse until they are as you like- finely chopped to ground.
In a large bowl, beat the three egg whites until foamy. Add a dash of vinegar (it helps them keep their height), and keep beating until glossy and dense, adding sugar just a spoonful at a time as you beat. Fold in the ground nuts and the coconut.
Of course you could make these any size, but a mammoth dessert-sized meringue looks very festive. Mound the batter on the baking paper, leaving a little space as they like to swell:
and bake at 170 C/325 F (hot for a meringue- but we want them to crisp up on the outside while keeping the inside soft, not dry them completely as for the classic meringue). As soon as the bottoms are just barely dry enough to be gently lifted without breaking, they are ready- let them rest out of the oven to firm up before peeling them from the paper. These took about 45 minutes.
Melt the chocolate. It's worth taking a little care to temper it informally. Try this: melt 2/3 of the chocolate (warm but not hot), then add the remaining solid third and stir constantly. The agitation and the solid chocolate should encourage it to form the right kind of crystals as it sets. This makes for a shiny, firm surface. Dip the meringues into the chocolate half way, and drizzle as you like. A solid chocolate surface on part of the meringue gives them a familiar "candy bar" feel as you bite through it to the salty crunchy tender interior. I served them on nice plates, an enormous single-serving-not-at-all-too-sweet candy bar, light as a wispy cloud, a dark and bitter espresso on the side
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