Merveilleux du Nord

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites, at room temperature
• 120 g caster sugar
• 120 g icing sugar
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 500 ml double cream, very cold
• 120 g dark chocolate, 55 percent
• 30 g icing sugar, for the cream
• 150 g dark chocolate, in a solid block, for shaving
• icing sugar, to finish

Before you cook

• Line two baking trays with baking paper and pencil twelve 7 cm circles onto them, then flip the paper over.
• Separate the egg whites into a spotlessly clean bowl and leave them to come to room temperature.
• Sift the 120 g icing sugar so it folds in without lumps.
• Chill the mixing bowl and whisk you will use for the cream.

Steps

1. Heat the oven to 90C fan.
2. Whisk the egg whites with the salt on medium speed until they hold soft peaks.
3. Add the caster sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking on high, until the meringue is stiff and glossy and no grit remains between your fingers.
4. Whisk in the vinegar, then fold in the sifted icing sugar in three additions with a large spatula.
5. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag with a 12 mm plain nozzle.
6. Pipe twelve flat spirals onto your marked circles, starting at the centre of each.
7. Bake for 2 hours and 30 minutes, until the shells lift cleanly off the paper and sound hollow when tapped.
8. Turn the oven off and leave the meringues inside with the door shut for one hour to dry fully.
9. Melt the 120 g dark chocolate and let it cool until it is barely warm.
10. Whip the cold double cream with the 30 g icing sugar to soft peaks in the chilled bowl.
11. Pour the cooled melted chocolate into the cream in a thin stream while whisking on low, then whisk just until the cream holds firm peaks.
12. Shave the block of chocolate with a vegetable peeler onto a tray to make a generous pile of curls.
13. Set a meringue shell flat-side up and pipe a thick dome of chocolate cream onto it.
14. Press a second shell on top, flat side down, and squeeze gently so the cream bulges at the sides.
15. Coat the whole assembly in more chocolate cream using a palette knife, covering it completely.
16. Roll each coated merveilleux in the chocolate shavings until no cream shows.
17. Repeat with the remaining shells to make six pastries.
18. Chill for at least one hour, dust with icing sugar and eat the same day while the meringue still snaps.