Yum… I still salivate at the memory of this dessert I made a few weeks ago. You might know it under its old name (awful!) of chocolate head, chocolate ball or mousse head. Today we talk about chocolate marvel (much more elegant!). It's one of my mom's favorite pastries (a fan of meringue).
So when it came time to decide what dessert to bring to my aunt's, I suffered some maternal pressure ^^ (I already have a new request for Christmas :D). So I tried my hand at this simple and quick little pastry but with great taste potential! I barely had time to take a photo before they were devoured!
This recipe is the result of long research and various philosophical reflections. Several countries claim its origin (Denmark, Belgium, United Kingdom…). In all these origins we find a common basis of two meringues welded together by cream and covered with chocolate shavings. Sometimes the dessert is topped with a candied cherry as in Belgium or covered with melted chocolate as in Canada.
There are also versions with marshmallow. My mom particularly likes the recipe for chocolate marvel sold in bakeries with a crispy meringue topped with butter cream (I think). But today, the trend is more towards whipped cream (lighter on the palate). This is notably the case with Fred's Marvels praised by the gastronomic world, which is why I went with the recipe from Paprikas.
No technical difficulty, we make dry meringues on one side and solid whipped cream on the other in which we incorporate melted chocolate. When the meringues are cold we cut off the ridge and join them two by two with whipped cream. Then we coat everything and dip into the chocolate shavings (I can confirm we get it everywhere!). But we get a bite that is all elegance and lightness, perfect after a somewhat rich meal.
The guests loved it (and me too even though it's not really my cup of tea at first) but still regretted the crispy side of the meringues which tend to soften when in contact with whipped cream. For the next test, I'll look for a recipe closer to what you can find in bakeries.
Chocolate Marvel
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 100°C.
- 2
Whip the egg whites into stiff peaks slowly, gradually adding the sugar. The whites should be firm and very shiny.
- 3
Using a piping bag, pipe small regular mounds (about 3 cm for me but you can go up to 5) onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- 4
Dry in the oven for 2 hours. The meringues should be firm and not stick to the parchment paper. Let cool for at least one hour (if you can, make the meringues the day before and leave them in the oven turned off and closed all night).
- 5
Gently melt the chocolate in the microwave (be careful not to burn it) and let cool.
- 6
Whip the cream into whipped cream (you can put it in the freezer for 10 minutes with the bowl and mixer beaters so it whips up well). When it reaches medium peaks, add the room temperature chocolate little by little. Whip until the mixture is very firm.
- 7
Shave the top of the meringues so they are nice and flat. Stick two meringues together (head to head) with whipped cream then cover the whole thing
- 8
Dip the ball obtained into the chocolate shavings until the meringues and cream are well covered. Keep in the refrigerator until serving.
