Hazelnut and Strawberry Vacherin - Recipe

Hazelnut and Strawberry Vacherin

This extra special dessert can also double up as a birthday cake with some indoor sparklers or birthday candles pressed into the top meringue layer.

Serves 8

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 1 ¼ -1 ½ hours

For the meringue

50 g (2 oz) hazelnuts

2 teaspoons corn flour

4 medium egg whites

225 g (8 oz) caster sugar

To decorate

300 ml (1/2 pint) double cream

100 g (4 oz) 0% fat fromage frais

150 g (5 oz) raspberries

400 g (14 oz) strawberries, hulled, chopped

50 g (2 oz) dark chocolate, melted

Few toasted and roughly chopped hazelnuts, optional

What to do

1 Preheat the oven to 110oC/225oF/ Gas Mark ¼. Line 2 large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper and draw on 3, 20 cm (8 inch) circles. Grill the hazelnuts until golden then finely chop or grind in a liquidiser or food processor until similar to breadcrumbs then mix with the corn flour.

2 Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks and the bowl can be turned upside down without the egg whites sliding in the bowl. Gradually whisk in the sugar, a teaspoonful at a time and continue whisking once all the sugar has been added for a minute or two until the meringue is very thick and glossy.

3 Fold in the finely chopped hazelnuts then spoon the meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a 1 cm (1/2 inch) plain piping tube and pipe three meringue circles starting in the centre of each drawn circle or spoon meringue on to the paper and spread with a round bladed knife if preferred.

4 Bake for 11/4-11/2 hours or until the meringue circles can be lifted easily from the paper. Leave to cool still on the paper.

5 When ready to serve, whisk the cream in a bowl until it forms very soft peaks then fold in the fromage frais. Transfer one of the meringues to a serving plate, spoon over one third of the cream mixture then sprinkle with one third of the fruit and drizzle with a little of the chocolate. Cover with a second meringue then repeat the layers ending with fruit, extra hazelnuts if using and drizzles of melted chocolate.

Recipe courtesy of Seasonal Berries, representing the strawberry growers of Britain, to celebrate Breast Cancer Care’s Strawberry Tea party campaign which runs until the end of August and raises money to support the 50,000 people who are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK. You can find out more at www.breastcancercare.org.uk/strawberry.

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