meringues with poached fruits and chocolate ganache                      serves 4

for the chocolate ganache:

• 125g dark couverture chocolate

• 100ml thick cream

method

Shave chocolate into a bowl. Heat cream to simmering point and pour over the chocolate. Stir until combined and glossy. Set in the refrigerator. 

for the meringue nests:

• 3 egg whites

• 100g castor sugar

• 100g icing sugar

• 15g cornflour

• 15g cocoa powder

• extra cocoa powder for dusting

• 220g pure greed poached muscat fruits

• 1 qty chocolate ganache

method

In a clean dry bowl of an electric food mixer, whisk the egg whites until stiff and then gradually whisk in the sugar, until thick and glossy. Sift the icing sugar, cornflour and cocoa together and gently fold into the egg white mixture. Line a tray with baking paper. Using a metal spoon shape meringue mixture into six ovals and make small wells in the centre of the ovals using the back of a spoon, to form the nests. Bake at 120°C for 1½ hours or until firm and dry. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks. Immediately before serving, spoon a little of the chocolate ganache into each meringue nest then fill with the muscat fruit. Add a spoonful of chocolate ganache to seal. Sit a few pieces of the fruit on the tops of the meringues and drizzle over some of the fruit syrup. To serve dust with a little icing sugar, then fill your glasses with Botrytis Semillon ...and discover how good life can be!