Brownie meringue cake with walnuts and chopped chocolate

Directions

1. In order to successfully bake on the gas bbq you’ll need a few things: An oven thermometer, a cookie sheet that you don’t mind placing over direct heat on the BBQ, a baker’s cooling rack and a timer. The BBQ you use is also important. It should be big enough to allow air to circulate and have at least three burners that you can easily temperature control. Wait until you are ready to bake before you place the baking rack down on the grill to create indirect heatIf you don’t have a BBQ you can easily make this recipe in a home oven!
2. Preheat your gas BBQ to the temperature indicated in the recipe, we use about 325 F. In order to get to the right temperature, set your BBQ to medium high until it reaches about 400 F and then turn off the middle burner or middle two burners and check every five minutes until you get to approximately your desired temperature. This should take about 15 minutes and once you understand your BBQ’s temperature you’ll be able to reach the right temperature more easily the next time.
3. In a small bowl mix together the toasted chopped nuts, the chopped chocolate and the corn starch. Set aside.
4. Make your favorite brownie recipe, from a boxed mix or from scratch. Pour the batter into a 9x9 cake pan and set aside.
5. Make the meringue- It’s very important not to get any yolk in the egg whites or the meringue will not work properly.
6. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl if you are using a hand held mixer and add the cream of tartar. Start to whip the egg whites and once they are foamy and holding soft peaks, add in the sugar one to two tablespoons at a time on medium speed until all the sugar is incorporated. Beat the mixture on high until the meringues form and hold stiff peaks, about six to eight minutes
7. Fold in the chocolate nuts mixture by hand and set aside.
8. Dollop on several large scoops of meringue all over the pan of brownie batter. Using the back of a large soup spoon, create deep peaks and valleys as you spread the meringue all over the top until you can no longer see the brownie batter. Just a few swoops and not too much fussing is fine!
9. Place brownies in the BBQ and bake until the brownies are set (use the suggested bake time of the brownie recipe but it’s usually 45-65 minutes) and the meringues look toasted on top. They should feel crisp to the touch but marshmallowy underneath. You can check the doneness of the brownies by sticking a dinner knife into the center and seeing if the knife contains batter or crumbs. Bake for an additional five to ten minutes if necessary.
10. Serve the brownies immediately for a gooey summer dessert or make ahead and serve at room temperature for a brownie square that’s taken to the next level!