For the meringue cakes:
4 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 c granulated sugar
For the Bavarian Cream and garnish:
2 egg yolks
1/2 c granulated sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 c warm milk
4 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
3 gelatin sheets (or substitute 2 tsp unflavoured powdered gelatin)
6 c whipped cream, divided
icing (confectioner's) sugar for dusting
Pre-heat oven to 275F. Prepare the meringue cakes: in a bowl, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar on high speed, adding the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff peaks form. Transfer the meringue to a pastry bag. Starting in the centre, pipe spirals of meringue onto 2 separate baking sheets lined with parchment paper to form 9" circles. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, prepare the Bavarian Cream: in a saucepan over med heat, combine egg yolks with the sugar, flour, milk, and chocolate. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 8 - 10 minutes, stirring constantly. In a small bowl, soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 3 mins, and drain well (or bloom the gelatin powder in cold water). Add to the saucepan, and remove from the heat. Stir until the mixture starts to thicken and resembles a custard, and set aside to cool. Fold 3 c of the whipped cream into the chocolate custard, and spread the mixture evenly into a 9" ring mold. Refrigerate 4 hrs.
Sprinkle the meringue cakes with icing sugar. A sieve works great for this. Unmold the white chocolate custard onto one of them, and place the other one on top. Garnish with the remaining whipped cream (use the dollop method, make mounds of whipped cream all around the meringue) and sprinkle with more icing sugar. Serves 6
For the record, I've never used gelatin sheets myself, unflavoured powdered gelatin works just fine. If any of you have ever made pavlovas, that's what this is, with Bavarian Cream as the filling.
Buon fortuna !!
Julianna
