Summer dessert

Strawberries in the summer, it doesn't get better or any more predictable as a summer dessert.
This dessert is just mouth watering, it combines summer sun ripe strawberries and vanilla whipped cream, a wining combo in themselves, and then we add chocolate and meringue.

Meringue is a dessert I yet need to master, it always fails slightly, because I can never let it be as it is, I always want to add a little hazelnut or almond or both. This is always when the beautiful stiff shiny merignue implodes, and shrinks to half it sizes in a matter of seconds.

However, despite all my attempts at making meringue I am always pleased with the end result, as it is chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside, just the way I like my meringue.

Serves 4:
3 dl strawberries (always choose small over big strawberries, they always have more flavor)
1 dl whipped cream
1 tsp vanilla sugar
100 gram dark chocolate
20 gram butter
3 egg whites (the fresher the eggs, the easier it is to separate them)
2 dl casting sugar (fine grained sugar; dissolves much easier)
If you dare: 1 dl hazelnut or almond flour (if you don't find this in your local food store, you can pulverize 1 dl of nuts in your food processor)

Very important is to make sure that no moist is in any of the bowls or tools you use to beat the eggs. Not one drop of egg yolk may come into the separated egg whites. Use a metal bowl to whisk the eggs in not plastic.

1. Pre heat your oven to 125 degrees celcius
2. Whip the egg whites till stiff.
3. Add small amounts of sugar (1tsp at a time) to the egg whites, while continuing to whisk. Once all the sugar is in the egg whites, you can check if it is done by turning the bowl of egg mix upside down and if it all stays in the bowl the mix is done. The mix should be silky and slightly shiny.
4. Now slowly, as with the sugar add very small amounts of the nut flour, you need to fold this into the egg mix, very gently.
5. Place the entire egg mix onto baking paper and onto an oven tray. Bake in the oven for 12-15min. The  meringue should have an almost golden color. Then lower the oven heat till 100 degrees for another 30min, the meringue should feel light.
6. Melt the chocolate and butter in a pan or in a bain marie (place a bowl on top of a pan with water in it, and heat, the steam will heat the bowl and melt the chocolate). Once melted allow to cool slightly.
7. Whip the cream and add the vanilla sugar.
8. Slice the strawberries.
9. Assemble all the ingredients onto a plate; strawberries, crumble the meringue over the top, add the melted chocolate and last but not least add the whipped cream.