Meringue mushrooms

Enough for 3 dozen

The meringues should dry out overnight and may be stored for up to a week in an airtight container.

• 4 egg whites
• 250 g (1 c) caster sugar
• 1 x 100g slice dark chocolate
• 1 x 100g slice white chocolate
• 10 ml (2 t) cocoa

Preheat the oven to its lowest setting. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

1 Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add the sugar a little at a time and constantly whisk. Whisk until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is thick and glossy.

2 Spoon the egg white mixture into a piping bag with a 1 cm round nozzle. Spray different size cups (from 2 to 5 cm in diameter) to form the top of the mushrooms. Put your fingertips in water and smoothen the top of the cups. Form the stems on the baking sheet. Make sure you have a stem for each cup.

3 Allow to dry out overnight or for at least six hours in the oven.

4 Chop the dark chocolate finely and melt on the defrost setting of the microwave. Grease the bottom of each meringue circle with the chocolate – use a pallet knife or a knife with a rounded tip. Set aside until the chocolate is set.

5 Meanwhile, melt the white chocolate and spread the cups with a thin layer of dark chocolate. Set aside until the white chocolate is almost set. Use a toothpick to draw fine lines from the centre to the outside of the cups to look like the underside of a mushroom.

6 Use a vegetable knife and make a hole in each meringue cup. Dip the tip of the stem in the rest of the white chocolate and fit into the hole. Sift with a little cocoa serve.