Mexican Chocolate Meringues

From Mexican Cookshelf. Serve the meringues dusted with cinnamon and accompanied by strawberries and chocolate-flavored cream (recipe included). A fiesta in in itself!

• Ready In: 3 hrs
• Yields: 24 meringues

Ingredients

• 5  egg whites, at room temperature
• 1  pinch salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 -7  ounces  superfine sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4  ounces  semisweet chocolate, grated
• 4  ounces strawberries, to serve
•  whipped cream, to serve
•  chocolate piece, to serve

Directions

1. Whisk the egg whites until they are foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar and beat until very stiff. Whisk in vanilla, then sugar, a small amount at a time, until the meringue is shiny and stiff. This should take just about 3 minutes by hand and under a minute by electric mixer.
2. Whisk in the cinnamon and grated chocolate. Spoon mounds, about 2 tablespoons, on to an ungreased nonstick baking sheet. Leave plenty of space between the mounds.
3. Place in a preheated oven at 300°. Bake for 3 hours or until set.
4. Carefully remove from the baking sheet but if the meringues are too moist and soft, return to the oven to firm up and dry out some more. Allow to cool completely.
5. Serve the meringues dusted with cinnamon and accompanied by strawberries and chocolate-flavored cream.
6. To make the flavored cream simply stir half-melted chocolate pieces into stiffly whipped cream, chill until solid.