Mont blanc

6 large egg whites
Pinch of salt
350g (12oz) caster sugar
2tsp cornflour
Pinch of cream of tartar
1tsp white wine vinegar
4 drops vanilla essence
400g (14oz) canned chestnut purée (crème de marrons de l’Ardèche)
300ml (1/2pt) double cream,firmly whipped

Chocolate sauce and chopped pistachio nuts to garnish

A stunning, crisp meringue oozing with soft whipped cream and dark gooey chestnut purée – irresistible!

In short	Preparation time: 25 mins Cooking time: 90 mins Total time: 115 mins Serves: 4 people Cuisine: French Course: Desserts
Nutrition (per portion)	876 calories 42g fat (25g saturates)

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper. Draw 2 x 20cm (8in) circles on the paper. Whisk egg whites with salt and half the sugar in a clean bowl until soft peaks form. Slowly add remaining sugar, beating constantly until stiff and shiny. Sprinkle over cornflour, cream of tartar, vinegar and vanilla essence. Fold in gently with a metal spoon.

2 Spoon meringue mixture onto the greaseproof papers (keeping within the drawn circles). Flatten top and smooth sides. Place in oven and immediately reduce the heat to 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2 and cook for 11/2 hours. Turn off oven, leave door slightly ajar and allow to cool completely.

3 To assemble, place 1 meringue disc on a platter and spread with chestnut purée. Top with whipped cream and sandwich with remaining meringue disc. Drizzle with chocolate sauce, garnish with nuts and serve immediately.

Photographs Peter Cassidy; food styling and recipes Sunil Vijayakar; prop styling Helen Trent