O Merveilleux Belgian Meringue

A Merveilleux is a Belgian pastry made from just three ingredients: meringue, whipped cream, and your choice of one of four different toppings. I have to say, this simplicity produces something truly extraordinary. The Merveilleux provides a delightful alternative to the usual desserts you encounter. It's light, airy, and incredibly delicious. Isn't it refreshing to try something a little different? Treat yourself to a Merveilleux today!

On April 22, 2015, I read an intriguing article in The New York Times that made me leap into action and head to New York City—yes, it was all about food! The article introduced a delightful dessert making waves at select French bakeries across the city. This dessert, affectionately referred to as a “snow-ball,” is incredibly popular in France and Belgium. It's said to be potentially the next trend after Ladurée’s macarons and Dominique Ansel's Cronut. Let me introduce you to the Merveilleux! As a devoted fan of both the Ladurée macarons and the Cronut, I was eager to try this new contender. An immediate tasting became my top priority. I faced a choice between O Merveilleux, a Belgian bakery located uptown, and Aux Merveilleux, a French bakery downtown, for my inaugural Merveilleux experience. Since I had plans to stroll through Central Park and visit the Met, I opted for O Merveilleux uptown. The Merveilleux is quite simple yet elegant—it's a thin meringue cookie topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream and rolled in various toppings like chocolate shavings or nuts. The beauty lies in the creation of the perfect meringue, which must maintain its delightful texture and slight crunch, even after being topped with cream and sitting for a few hours. The combination of the meringue and whipped cream results in a wonderfully delicate treat. The added chocolate shavings provide a subtle flavor and textural contrast, enhancing without overshadowing the lightness of the dessert beneath. At O Merveilleux, the Merveilleux comes in two sizes. The large version resembles a meringue cookie sandwich, complete with cream both inside and on top, while the small one is nearly bite-sized, featuring a single cookie topped with cream. I opted for the small version, and I must emphasize the word “delicate”—it truly embodies this quality. So much so that...