Raspberry Meringue Gateau

Total Time: 2 hrs Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup superfine sugar
• 3 drops vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon distilled malt vinegar
• 1 cup roasted and chopped hazelnuts, ground
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 2 cups raspberries
• confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• mint sprig (to garnish)
• 1 1/3 cups raspberries
• 3 -4 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 tablespoon orange liqueur

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f grease two 8 inch pans and line the bottoms with waxed paper.
• 2 whisk the egg whites in a large bowl until they hold stiff peaks, then gradually whisk in the superfine sugar one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition.
• 3 continue whisking the meringue for 1-2 minutes, until very stiff, then fold in the vanilla extract, vinegar and ground hazelnuts.
• 4 divide the meringue mixture between the prepared cake pans and spread level. bake for 50-60 minutes, until crisp. remove the meringues from the pans and let them cool on wire racks.
• 5 while the meringues are cooling, make the sauce. process the raspberries with the confectioner's sugar and orange liqueur in a blender or food processor, then press the puree through a fine sieve to remove any seeds. chill the sauce until ready to serve.
• 6 whip the cream until it forms soft peaks, then gently fold in the raspberries. sandwich the meringue rounds together with the raspberry cream.
• 7 dust the top of the gateau with confectioner's sugar. decorate with mint sprigs and serve with the raspberry sauce.