Title: MONT BLANC (CREAM/CHESTNUT/MERINGUE)
Categories: Desserts
Yield: 10 servings
-------------------------MERINGUE-------------------------
4 Egg whites, room temp
1/8 ts Salt
1/8 ts Cream of tartar
1 c Less 1 tb sugar
3/4 ts Vanilla
----------------------CHESTNUT PUREE----------------------
3 lb Fresh chestnuts or one 1lb
-15 oz can chestnut puree
1 Vanilla bean (if using fresh
-chestnuts)
3/4 c Water
1/3 c Sugar
FOR MERINGUE:
Preheat oven to 250 deg F. Grease a baking sheet,
sprinkle with flour, and mark 1 9inch circle or 10 3.5
inch circles (this may require more than one baking
sheet) In large bowl, beat egg whites with salt until
foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks
form. Beat in 2 tb sugar until mixture holds long,
stiff peaks when beater is lifted. *Fold* in remaining
sugar and vanilla. Place in pastry bag fitted with
1/2-inch plain tube and pipe 1 large round or 10 small
ones onto prepared sheet. Bake 1 hour or until
meringue is firm to the touch. If meringue(s) brown
during baking, reduce heat. Transfer meringue(s) to
rack and let cool. FOR CHESTNUT PUREE:
Peel chestnuts using small, sharp knife and leaving
inner skin. Preheat oven to 375 deg F. Place chestnuts
in shallow heatproof dish and bake 10 to 15 minutes,
or until skin dries and peels off easily. Rub nuts in
rough cloth to remove skins. Place peeled nuts in
saucepan with vanilla bean and water to cover and
bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover and
simmer 25 to 30 minutes, or until very tender. Remove
vanilla bean (it may be washed and reused.) Drain
chestnuts, then put through food mill or sieve, or in
food processor, and puree.
Briefly boil together 3/4 c water and sugar to make
thin sugar syrup, then set aside to cool. When cool,
beat enough syrup into chestnut puree to make it thin
enough to pipe through pastry bag but still thick
enough to hold its shape. If using canned puree,
sweeten to taste, making sure it is thin enough to be
piped. Fit pastry bag with 1/8-inch plain tube and
fill with puree. Beat cream until stiff, then add
sugar to taste and vanilla. Beat egg white in separate
bowl until stiff peaks form, then fold into cream.
Place cream mixture into pastry bag fitted with star
tip. Arrange meringue(s) on serving platter and pipe
chestnut puree in bird's nest shape around edge of
meringue. Pipe cream mixture in center, piling it
high. Sprinkle grated chocolate over whipped cream and
chill until serving time.
