Savvy Entertaining

If you’ve followed along with my blog this week, you have a fun appetizer with the fruit slush recipe from Tuesday, Cupid’s Bread from Wednesday and an easy recipe for Manicotti yesterday.

Today’s post is the final touch to your amazingly easy Valentine’s Dinner that is sure to knock the socks off your sweetie-pie.

Chocolate Mousse (from a mix, of course) fills these beautiful and simple meringue shells. Garnish with raspberries and chocolate hearts and you can’t go wrong!

Ingredients for Meringue Shells

Beat egg whites, add in vanilla and cream of tartar. Gradually beat in sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy.

Oh... shiny and so lovely!

You can drop dough by spoonfuls on baking sheet or pipe with pastry bag. I like the piped version better.

Piping a shell...

Make sure you make the sides higher than the middle. You are essentially creating a meringue nest.

Bake shells until lightly browned and set, then turn off oven and let them rest for one hour before removing to cool.

While shells are cooling, make chocolate hearts. Melt about two tablespoons semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave (nuke in 10-15 second intervals so you don't overcook). Spoon melted chips into a Ziploc bag, cut a hold in one corner and pipe heart shapes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Pop in the freezer until set and ready to use.

When you are ready to serve, fill shells with Chocolate Mousse.

Top with a dollop of whipped cream and a rapsberry.

Garnish with chocolate hearts (you can add a swirl of chocolate or raspberry syrup to the plate as well if you like.) Then watch your Valentine melt in a puddle at your feet!

Meringue Shells

3 egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

Chocolate Mousse Mix

Raspberries

Whipping Cream

Chocolate Hearts (see directions above)

Place egg whites in a small bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Add vanilla and cream of tartar; beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat until stiff peaks form and mixture is glossy.

Drop eight mounds onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Shape into 3-in. cups with the back of a spoon. (Or pipe through a pastry bag.) Bake at 225° for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until set and dry. Turn oven off; leave meringues in oven for 1 hour.

Cool on wire racks.  Fill shells with chocolate mousse (follow directions on package), top with whipped cream and a raspberry and garnish with chocolate hearts.

Happy Valentine’s Entertaining!

From She Who Loves These Shells