Daring to do it: Marquise on Meringue

(Sorry this post won't be as "well written" as usual... Time grew short, and Little Girl's birthday took precedence over the writing process...)

The May 2011 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Emma of CookCraftGrow and Jenny of Purple House Dirt. They chose to challenge everyone to make a Chocolate Marquise. The inspiration for this recipe comes from a dessert they prepared at a restaurant in Seattle.

This was an intimidating challenge. Just looking at the recipe I was concerned... So many steps! So much time! So DAIRY!!! I know, there was a vegan alternative presented, but it just didn't seem like it would turn out "right" (at least not the way I wanted it to...). After putting it off for a long time, claiming to be looking for a time when there would be more people to eat it, Ifinally got down to business. I did spread the process out over a couple of days, which was actually really helpful.

The marquise itself consists of the chocolate base and the "actual" marquise. Neither one was particulartly hard, per se, just somewhat labor intensive. This dish is all about the texture being right, so I tried very hard to make sure that my cream whipped up well and the chocolate was smooth. In order to keep portions controlled, I chose to make my marquise (well, part of it anyway...!) in my brownie bites pan. The little squares would be easier to unmold, and would have the benefit of being smaller than I would likely cut portions for myself!
The meringue was a great recipe, unlike any I have used before. I had never disolved the sugar in the whites over heat before. It was an interesting way to make a smoother meringue, and I might have to play with that again! (It was, though, impossible to photograph, as one hand held the bowl and the other was mixing the sugar in the whites...!)

I chose to forego the nuts and caramel sauce reccomended by the hosts. As delicious as they sound (and I really do hope I find a chance to make them another time!), I didn't have it in me... The berry sauce I made was a combination of blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries cooked with the juice of one orange, a bit of water, a sprinkling of sugar, a little cinnamon and a splash of vanilla. The sugared berries were exactly that - the same variety of berries, tossed with some sugar for shine.

This really was an amazing dessert. The chocolate marquise had an amazingly smooth, rich texture, and the meringue's sweetness and crunch (because I made cookies) were a great compliment to each other. I also found the tartness of the berries to be a great accompaniment, so I was pleased with the choice I had made...!

Thank you, Emma and Jenny, for introducing us to this amazing, decadent, beautiful and delicious dish! This was like going to pastry school, except without the pressure, cost and competition!!

I highly recommend that you look here to see the wonderful creations created my my fellow Daring Bakers!