CHOCOLATE SALTED CARAMEL PAVLOVA

http://www.milk-honey.co.uk/chocolate-salted-caramel-pavlova/

PREP TIME
20 mins
COOK TIME
2 hours
TOTAL TIME
2 hours 20 mins

Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS
200g egg whites
400g sugar
1 Tbsp corn starch (corn flour)
1 tsp white vinegar
100g chocolate, melted and cooled
125g whipping cream, softly whipped
Caramel Sauce
200g sugar
90g butter, diced
120ml whipping cream
5g sea salt
Honey roasted peanuts
INSTRUCTIONS
Pre-heat oven to 100c. Place egg whites and 350g sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Start to whisk on low speed (#2) for about 5 minutes. Once you have lots of little bubbles turn the mixer up to high and continue to whisk. Add the corn starch and vinegar. While the meringue is still whisking add the last 50g sugar a Tablespoon at a time and continue to whisk until you have a firm, stiff meringue mixture. Drizzle the melted chocolate onto the top to the meringue and gently fold the chocolate through.
Spoon large dollops of this meringue onto greaseproof lined baking trays. Continue to drizzle the chocolate and fold and scoop the meringue onto the trays until all the mixture is used.
Place the trays into the oven and bake for about 2 hours, or until the meringues come away from the baking paper without sticking.
For the caramel sauce
Place a pan on a medium heat and melt the sugar a little at a time until all is melted. Leave on the heat until a deep golden brown caramel is reached. In increments add the butter dice. Be very careful. The caramel will bubble and spit. Mix this in well.
Add the cream. Being very careful again with the bubbling and spitting.
Finally add the sea salt and mix.
To build the pavlovas, dollop some whipped cream onto the top of the meringues and top that with the caramel sauce and roasted peanuts.
Leave to cool before pouring this over the whipped cream.