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]