Chocolate and Berry-Covered Meringue

If you follow my blog, then you know I'm in awe of Ener-G egg replacer.  It works for everything from the simple (a binder in cakes, muffins, and other baked goods) to the downright amazing (my Blueberry Angel Food Cake).  Ever since I made angel food cake last summer, I've had a hunch that this deceptively-innocent looking white powder could become meringue, as well.  Tonight, I'm putting the theory to the test.

Ingredients:
For the meringue:

• 4 Ener-G eggs
• Dash of salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup vegan sugar

For the topping:

• 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
• 4 teaspoons water
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 2 cups fresh raspberries
• Mint sprigs (optional for garnish)

1. To start, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draw a 9-inch circle on the paper.  Turn the paper over and secure with masking tape.  Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the Ener-G eggs and salt; beat with a hand mixer for 12 minutes.  After the first 3 minutes, add the vanilla and lemon juice, while continuing to beat.  At the 6 minute mark, begin adding the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, while continuing to beat.  By the end, you'll have thick "stiff peaks" like beaten egg whites.

3. Carefully spoon your meringue into the circle you've drawn, and shape into a nest with 1-inch tall sides using the back of a spoon. 

4. Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour.  Turn the oven off, but leave the door closed; let the meringue cool in the closed oven for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and carefully peel off the parchment paper.

5.  To prepare the topping, combine the dark chocolate and water in a small glass bowl.  Microwave at 20 second intervals for about 1 minute, until melted.

6. Place the meringue on a platter, and arrange the berries in the "nest" you've created. 

7. Drizzle with the chocolate sauce.  Mint sprigs make a pretty garnish of contrasting color. 

You could also get a bit more decadent and top with Soya Too whipped cream, and add additional berries such as strawberries.

Nutrition Info:
8 servings (1 slice), Calories 142 

Tasting Notes:
First, the meringue was exactly what I imagined - crispy at first bite, then melt in your mouth, with a sugary, vanilla taste; my husband, who still eats real eggs, declared this an exact match for egg white meringues.  While the edges stayed perfect, I was disappointed that the meringue became soggy in the center underneath the berries (making this hard to photograph in its entirety).  Letting it set and cool longer in the closed oven might solve the problem.  Try an hour and see if you have better luck.  I also didn't think that tempering and drizzling the chocolate was worth the extra effort; go ahead and use a vegan chocolate syrup like Ah-laska instead.  But again, I was so pleased with my meringue.  Next I might try this for bite-sized cookies.

Update: the meringue stayed crisp in an air-tight container for about 2 days.  By the third day, it had lost that initial crunch and become a tad chewy, at which point it tasted a bit like...vegan marshmallows.  Not a bad discovery.

Rating:
3.5