There are 2 types of Merveilleux. One from Belgium: 2 discs of meringue sandwiched the whipped cream, the whole cake is covered with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. The second one from North of France, with cream substituting the whipped cream, at times semi dome or ball shape.
Recently, I saw in le Monde a recipe of famed Belgian chocolate chef Pierre Marcolini, I gave it a try.
Pretty straight forward recipe. The meringue disc was made about 5.5 cm / 2 inch in diameter. Baked at 100ºC / 212ºF for 2 hours. I made it a day before and stored them in an airtight container when they cooled down.
Instead of 2 discs, I used 3 discs. A layer of whipped cream was spread on each disc of meringue.
The whole cake was then covered with whipped cream.
Lastly, shaved dark chocolate were sprinkled on the cake.
Compared to Aux Merveilleux de Fred, this Belgian version of Marcolini, the meringues were totally cooked, where as AMDF’s meringue was much softer in the centre. The chantilly was much softer in the version I made than the pastry cream used in AMDF. I believe the adjustment was made as there is no way you can keep chantilly desserts in shops for hours. The dessert is airy and light, suitable to follow a heavy main course.
It is also a practical way to use up extra egg whites.
