French Vanilla Meringue

 

  1. Preheat the oven to 130°C / 300°F
  2. Beat the egg whites while adding four times the initial weight of sugar.
  3. Split the vanilla bean in half (lengthwise) to extract the small black seeds.
  4. Add them to the meringue.
  5. Once the whites have peaked, fold in the second load of sugar with the help a spatula by hand.
  6. Using a pastry bag (n°10), pipe 5cm diameter meringue balls on a sheet of baking paper.
  7. This recipe allows one to make more of them than is necessary, before storing them to dry in an airtight container.
  8. Put them into the oven for 1 hour at 130°C, then lower the oven setting to 100°C for another hour.
  9. The secret to cooking lies in leaving the oven door ajar every 15 minutes in order to let the steam escape.

 

Chestnut Cream

 

  1. Using a beater or by hand with a spatula, mix the mashed chestnut cream, then add the cognac.
  2. Store in a cool airtight place for a few hours.

 

Chantilly Cream

 

  1. Melt the granulated sugar in the cream.
  2. Add the vanilla seeds.
  3. Add it to the Chantilly while whisking it.

 

Assemble

 

  1. Fill one No.6 pastry bag with the crème marron and a No.8 pastry bag with the Chantilly.
  2. Place the meringue on a plate and top with the whipped cream and chestnut cream vermicelli.
  3. Finally, dust with icing sugar.