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I’m back with the second (and final) part of my King’s Fine Foods challenge to create a delicious new recipe featuring one of their products (the first part was these indulgent double chocolate and caramel profiteroles – definitely worth a look if you missed them!).

The second product I was sent to use was their Boyajian citrus oils. I’ve always used zest or juice to add a citrus flavour to my baking so these were new to me and I absolutely loved them (I’m a total convert). The flavour is incredibly intense so you only need a little bit to fill your baking with flavour. I also love the fact that they’re there in the cupboard ready for a bit of impromptu baking so I don’t need to stock up on fresh citrus and then worry about it going to waste.

To put them to the test I wanted to make something that simply wouldn’t work as well using zest or juice so I quickly decided on meringues (zest would make them all bitty, juice would upset the delicate balance of egg white and sugar).

I made a few test batches using the different oils and different fillings and the winner was these chocolate orange meringues. Not only do they taste delicious, I think they’re really rather pretty too 🙂

I piped them in exactly the same way as I do buttercream roses on cupcakes using this tutorial from Gym Bunny Mummy. I did try making one batch by simply making circles of meringue on my baking tray with a spoon and they looked a bit of a mess so for the sake of a couple of extra minutes it’s really worth the effort to pipe (and it’s honestly easy to do!).

Chocolate Orange Meringues

You can find some extra tips for meringue success in my recipe for black forest pavlova.

Active Time:20 minutes

Total Time:6 hours

Makes 6 meringue sandwiches

This recipe does’t need a lot of your time to make, but you do need to make sure you get everything ready in advance as the meringues need several hours to cook and cool and the ganache needs an hour or so to set. If you don’t allow the meringues to cool and ganache to set properly you’ll end up with cracked meringues and runny ganache.

The meringues can be made in advance and either stored for a few days in an airtight container or frozen in a baking parchment lined box.

The ganache can also be made a few days in advance and stored in the fridge. Make sure you remove it from the fridge and allow it to come up to room temperature before attempting to fill your meringues.

Equipment

• Weighing scales
• Electric mixer (you can use a hand whisk but it’s hard work!)
• Measuring spoons
• Baking sheet
• Baking parchment or bake-o-glide sheet (or similar)
• Piping bag and large star nozzle
• Grated, peeler or sharp knife.
• Small saucepan
• Medium-large bowl
• Large spoon

Ingredients

Orange Meringues

• Two large egg whites
• 100g caster sugar
• ¼ tsp Boyajian orange citrus oil

Milk chocolate ganache

• 100g good quality milk chocolate – I used Amedei chocolate, also from King’s Fine Foods
• 100ml double cream

Method

Make the meringues

1. Pre-heat your oven to 100ºC/80ºC fan.
2. Line your baking sheet with baking parchment or bake-o-glide sheet.
3. Put your egg whites (2 large egg whites) into a large bowl and beat on a low speed until foamy. Increase the speed to medium and beat until they form a soft peak.
4. With your mixer still running, add the caster sugar (100g) a tablespoon at a time and whisk until combined. Continue to beat until you have a stiff peak.
5. Add the orange oil (¼ tsp) and carefully fold into the meringue mixture until fully combined.
6. Attach the nozzle to your piping bag and fill the piping bag with the meringue. Pipe your meringue roses onto the baking sheet (if you need guidance on how to do this have a look at this video).
7. Place into the oven and cook for 1 hour 45 minutes. Once cooked turn off the oven but don’t open it. Leave the meringues in until the oven has cooled completely (this can take several hours).
8. Once the oven has cooled completely remove the meringues and either use them immediately or store them in an airtight container to use later.

Make the milk chocolate ganache

1. Grate the milk chocolate (100g) and put it into a large bowl (you could also use a peeler or very finely chop it using a sharp knife).
2. Heat the double cream in a small saucepan. You want it to be warm but not boiling (about 50-60ºC – if it’s too hot it will seize the chocolate and cause it to go lumpy).
3. Once the cream has warmed, pour it onto the chocolate and quickly stir it together until completely combined and the chocolate is completely melted.
4. At this point the ganache will be too runny to use so it needs to be left to set. If you’re using it that day then you can cover and leave it to set for an hour or so at room temperature. If you’re making it in advance then pop it into the fridge to set.

Build your meringue sandwiches

1. Make sure your ganache is at room temperature.
2. Fill a piping bag with ganache (with a pretty nozzle attached if you want) and carefully pipe the ganache onto one side of the meringue. Place another piece of meringue on top to make the sandwich.
3. Repeat until all of the meringues are filled.
4. Serve.

This is the estimated nutritional information per serving (4 profiteroles). Please refer to my guide to Charlotte’s Lively Kitchen nutritional information if you want to learn more about how this is calculated.

Free From/Suitable For…

• Suitable for vegetarians
• Gluten-Free
• Nut-Free
• Corn-Free
• Soy-Free

The ingredients for this recipe are commonly available free from all these allergens. However, please ensure you double-check allergen information for all ingredients.