SERVES 6
For the meringue
3 egg whites
170 g| 6 oz caster sugar
Icing sugar, sifted

For the filling
1 x 440 g | 15 oz can of sweetened chestnut purée
150 ml | ¼ pint double cream, lightly whipped

To decorate
Chocolate caraque or coarsely grated chocolate

1. Preheat the over to 110°C | 225°F | gas mark ½. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.
2. Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add half of the caster sugar and whisk again until very stiff and shiny. Fold in the remaining sugar.
3. Place the meringue in a piping bag with a fitted 1 cm| 1 ½ in plain nozzle. Pipe the mixture into an 18 cm | 7 in circle on the prepared baking sheet, starting from the centre and spiraling outwards. Pipe a rim 3 cm | 1 ½ in deep. Dust lightly with icing sugar.
4. Bake in the oven for 2 hours, until the meringue is dry and crisp. When cooked, remove from the oven, and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Carefully peel off the lining paper.
5. Beat the chestnut purée until soft. Pile into the meringue case, cover with the cream and sprinkle the chocolate on top.

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Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]

SERVES 6
4 egg whites
225 g| 8 oz caster sugar
140 g| 5 oz walnuts, roughly chopped
290 ml| ½ pint double cream
4 tablespoons lemon curd
2 tablespoons icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C | 375°F | gas mark 5.
2. Line 2 x 20 cm| 8 in cake tins with lightly oiled kitchen foil or simply line the base with non-stick baking parchment and oil the sides of the tin.
3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually whisk in half of the sugar. Whisk again until very stiff and shiny.
4. Fold the remaining sugar with the walnuts. Then fold into the meringue.
5. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins, smoothing the tops slightly.
6. Bake for 40 minutes. Turn the cakes out on to a wire rack, peel off the lining paper and leave to cool completely.
7. Whip the cream and mix the lemon curd. Sandwich the cakes with this mixture.
8. Sift the icing sugar over the top to decorate.

________________________________________

Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]