Chocolate Meringue Dessert

By norsegal8

The literal translation of this dessert's name is "court" or "royal" dessert, and it is always appropriate for a festive occasion. but do not try to make it on a hot and humid day. Whenever I have extra egg whites on hand, I whip up the meringues and freeze them in an airtight container so that on the day of my next party, all I need to do is make the sauce, whip the cream and build the pyramid.

Ingredients

• 6 egg whites
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups heacy whipping cream
• 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Details

Servings 12

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Cover two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and sugar, then add to the egg whites, beating at high speed until very stiff and glossy. Using a small ice cream scoop, shape the mixture into about sixty 1-inch balls. Place them 2 to 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven without opening the door and let the meringues dry in the cooling oven for at least 4 hours, or until the oven is cold.

In a small saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of the cream with the chocolate. Place over low heat and stir until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is smooth. Remove from the heat and cool.

Whip the remaining cream until it forms stiff peaks. Arrange one even layer of meringues, covering the bottom the a large glass platter or shallow bowl. Spread with part of the whipped cream. Arrange the remaining meringues in a pyramid stucture, using the whipped cream as mortar to hold them together. Drizzle with the cooled chocolate sauce and sprinkle with the almonds. Serve immediately.