After many years of presenting Rustenburg Herald’s popular cooking column, one of the first things I have learned is that “one never knows everything”, says Waldie Volschenk. This week we are back with a delicious chocolate and strawberry vacherin or for those who didn’t know (myself included) - a vacherin is made of layers of crisp meringue sandwiched together with fruit and cream. It makes a fabulous dessert for special occasions or when your sweet tooth got the better of you. This is actually quite easy to make but will make a huge impression on anyone invited to sit at your table – let alone your mother-in-law! Teaching us this wonderful recipe this week is Caroline Molokoane, a young cooking student with a diploma in food preparation and culinary arts at Rustenburg’s Professional Cooking Academy. Caroline went about like this:
Chocolate and strawberry vacharinServes 6
Meringue layer:
3 large egg whites
3/4 cup castor sugar
1 teaspoon corn-starch
30 g dark chocolate, grated
Filling:
170 g dark chocolate
2 cups whipped cream
2 cups fresh strawberries
To decorate:
Half to ¾ cup of melted chocolate
Fresh edible flowers
Fruits of your choice (Strawberries, cherries, blueberries)
Directions:
Draw three rectangles, 10cm x 20cm, on sheets of parchment paper and place on 2 baking trays. Remember the spray and cook! Beat the egg whites in a mixing bowl until soft peaks form, then gradually beat in half the sugar and continue beating until the mixture is very stiff and glossy and the rest of the sugar and beat until dissolved.
Carefully fold in the corn-starch and grated chocolate with a metal spoon or spatula. Spoon the meringue mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip and pipe lines across the rectangles. Bake in a preheated oven at 130°C for 1 1/2 hours changing the positions of the baking tray, halfway through. Without opening the oven door, turn off the oven and leave the meringues until they are completely cold, then peel away the paper.
To make the filling, melt the chocolate and drizzle it over 2 of the meringue layers. Leave the filling to harden. Place 1 chocolate-coated meringue on a plate and top with about one-third of cream and strawberries.
Gently place the second chocolate-coated meringue on top and spread with half the remaining cream and strawberries.
Place the last meringue on the top and decorate with the remaining cream and berries and place flowers in between.
Drizzle a little melted chocolate over the top and serve.
