Equipment
Ingredients
French Meringue
- 3 egg whites, room temperature
- 100 g caster sugar
- 100 g icing sugar, sifted
Mocha Crémeux
- 100 g milk chocolate, finely chopped
- 50 ml heavy cream
- 50 ml whole milk
- 5 g instant coffee
- 1 egg yolk
Chestnut Vermicelli
- 250 g sweetened chestnut puree
- 50 g unsalted butter, softened
- 15 ml dark rum
Mascarpone Chantilly
- 200 ml heavy cream, chilled
- 100 g mascarpone, chilled
- 20 g icing sugar, sifted
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Preheat your oven to 90°C/195°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a stand mixer, whisk the room temperature egg whites until foamy. Gradually rain in the caster sugar while whisking continuously until glossy, stiff peaks form.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a spatula to gently fold the sifted icing sugar into the egg whites until just combined, being careful not to deflate the mixture.
Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe six 8cm diameter nests onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 2 hours, then turn off the oven and let the meringues cool completely inside.
In a medium saucepan, gently heat the milk, 50ml of heavy cream, and instant coffee until steaming. Whisk the egg yolk in a bowl, slowly stream the hot liquid into the yolk to temper it, return the mixture to the saucepan, and cook over low heat until it reaches 82°C/180°F.
Pour the hot custard immediately over the finely chopped milk chocolate. Let sit undisturbed for one minute, then stir smoothly to emulsify into a rich, unified crémeux.
Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the crémeux and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours until it becomes firm enough to pipe.
In a food processor, blend the sweetened chestnut puree, softened butter, and dark rum until entirely smooth. Transfer this mixture to a piping bag fitted with the Mont Blanc vermicelli tip.
In a clean bowl, whip the mascarpone, 200ml of chilled heavy cream, icing sugar, and vanilla extract until medium-stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag with a large round tip.
To assemble, pipe a generous tablespoon of the firm mocha crémeux directly into the central hollow of each cooled meringue nest.
Pipe a large dome of the mascarpone Chantilly completely over the crémeux, building it up to create a high mountain shape over the meringue base.
Starting from the base of the Chantilly dome and working upwards in a circular motion, pipe overlapping ribbons of the chestnut mixture to entirely encase the cream, resembling a nest of yarn.
Chef's Notes
- For the crispest meringues, try to avoid making this dessert on an exceptionally humid day, as the high sugar content acts like a sponge for atmospheric moisture.
- The mascarpone serves a structural purpose in the Chantilly cream; its high fat content stabilizes the whipped cream, preventing weeping if you need to assemble the desserts a few hours ahead of your party.
- Ensure your milk chocolate for the crémeux is of high quality, ideally around 40 percent cocoa, to perfectly balance the inherent earthiness and sweetness of the chestnut.
- If you cannot source a specialized Mont Blanc piping tip, you can pierce several tiny holes into the end of a disposable piping bag to create a similar, beautiful vermicelli effect.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 days — Assemble just before serving for the best meringue texture. Components keep well separately.
Freezer: 1 month — Baked meringues can be frozen separately in airtight containers.
