Coffee Meringue with Chocolate Ganache

Name: Coffee Meringue with Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients: 3 egg whites; 150 g sugar; 1 tsp instant coffee (level, not heaping); 100 g dark chocolate (I used 56%); 50 g heavy cream 10%-20%

A delicate, crisp treat made of light, airy meringue with a subtle coffee aroma, sandwiched together in pairs with chocolate ganache. By the way, if you skip the coffee and the ganache, you'll end up with a perfectly classic meringue — the kind that generations of kids and adults have always loved. The recipe for classic meringue is very simple. You need to thoroughly beat egg whites with sugar into what's called a stiff meringue, then dry it out in the oven at a low temperature. The ratio for meringue is straightforward — I recommend using 50 g of sugar per egg white. For flavoring the meringue, you can use various additions such as coffee, vanilla extract, and so on. Meringue isn't difficult to make at all — the main thing is knowing a few key rules, which I'll describe below. - The bowl and mixer whisk must be clean, dry, and completely free of any grease. - Be very careful when separating the egg whites from the yolks so no yolk gets in, since yolks contain fat that makes it hard to whip the egg whites properly. - You can whip either cold egg whites or room-temperature ones — in my experience, it doesn't make a significant difference. - You can use a standard hand mixer with two whisks, or the whisk attachment that comes with a stand mixer (that's what I used this time). A planetary/stand mixer also works great. I do want to mention the single-whisk attachment that comes with an immersion blender. I know it's a very popular option and you can get results with it, but it takes considerably longer and is much more labor-intensive. So I wouldn't recommend it for whipping egg whites for meringue unless you have no other choice. In that case, use a tall, narrow container, since in a wide bowl the egg whites tend to splash around, making it much harder to whip. - Whip the meringue to stiff peaks. - Bake meringue at 100°C (212°F); at higher temperatures the sugar begins to caramelize (though some people actually prefer that caramelized meringue). I ended up with 30 meringue halves, or 15 complete sandwich cookies.

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
150 g sugar
1 tsp instant coffee (level, not heaping)
100 g dark chocolate (I used 56%)
50 g heavy cream 10%-20%

How to cook coffee meringue with chocolate ganache

Grind the coffee into a fine powder (crush it in a mortar or rub it with a spoon).

Separate the egg whites from the yolks and begin beating them gradually into a light, airy foam. Then, slowly adding the sugar and coffee powder, beat to stiff peaks (the stiff peak itself is visible on the left side of the photo). The mixture should become glossy, shiny, and thick enough that it almost wraps around the whisk. I beat for 12 minutes on medium speed, but the time can vary greatly depending on the type and power of your mixer — it may take considerably longer, up to 25–30 minutes. The sugar should dissolve completely during beating; check after whipping to make sure that has happened. Thanks to the coffee, the mixture will take on a lovely creamy color.

Transfer the mixture to a sturdy zip-lock bag, cut an opening about 2 cm wide (or use a piping bag with tips). Pipe the mixture into small rounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in an oven preheated to 100°C (212°F). Dry for approximately 1–2 hours. The time can vary significantly between different ovens. To check whether the meringue is done, take one piece out of the oven — it will still be soft — let it cool completely, and then taste it.

Let the finished meringues cool completely.

Make the chocolate ganache. Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl, then pour in the heavy cream. Set over a double boiler (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water).