Pigeon Cottage Kitchen

When you want to really impress at a dinner party without too much effort, this is the perfect dessert. Thin discs of hazelnut meringue sandwiched between a creamy chocolate ganache – heavenly! It’s a great make-ahead dessert too as you can make the meringues a day or two before, keep them in an airtight container and whip up the ganache on the day.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

• 50g shelled, blanched hazelnuts
• 4 large, fresh egg whites
• 225g golden caster sugar
• 100g plain dark chocolate
• 150ml creme fraiche
• 150ml double cream
• Icing sugar to dust

To make…

• Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Spread the hazelnuts over a baking sheet and roast for 5 or 6 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool and then chop very finely. Set aside.
• Lower the oven to 110C.
• Line three baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment. Mark each one with a 20cm circle.
• In a large bowl or stand mixer, whisk the egg whites into stiff peaks. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar to make a stiff, glossy meringue. Fold in all but a tablespoon of the chopped nuts.
• Divide the meringue equally between the baking sheets and spread the mixture out within the marked circles to make three discs. Try to keep them flat and level. Sprinkle one disc with the remaining chopped nuts.
• Bake all three discs in the oven for two hours and leave them to go cold inside.
• The filling goes in no more than two hours before you want to serve it. If you make this ahead, a day or so before, carefully store the discs in an airtight container.
• To make the filling, break the chocolate up into a heatproof bowl and rest it over a pan of simmering water. Leave it to melt, add the creme fraiche until smooth and glossy. Remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool slightly. In a separate bowl, whip the double cream until it just starts to thicken and then gently fold it into the chocolate mixture.
• To assemble, place one of the plain discs onto a flat serving plate and spread with half of the chocolate cream. Cover it with the second discs and spread the remaining half of the chocolate cream. Top with the disc covered in hazelnuts.
• Chill it in the fridge for two hours. This allows the meringue to soften slightly and the filling to set.
• To serve, dust it lightly with icing sugar and cut into thin wedges with a large serrated knife. You can serve it with a little extra pouring cream but it really is rich enough by itself.

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