Preparation
tear off two pieces of non-stick parchment to cover two trays measuring 15” x 14”/38cm x 36 approx. On the two pieces of parchment, using a pencil, draw a circle 10”/26cm using a fish/dinner plate, for example. Turn the paper over so that the pencil mark is facing the tray. When you have the meringue ready, dab a little in each corner to keep the paper in place. Preheat oven to 165C. Now make the nutty meringue.
Ingredients
- 170g icing sugar
- 170g ground almonds (or ground hazelnuts that will give stronger flavour)
- 200g egg whites (about 8 medium eggs)
- 70g caster sugar
- 2 g cream of tartar (1/2 tsp)
- Chopped hazelnuts for sprinkling over top meringue disc
- Filling:
- 1 pint/600ml of double cream
- 90 g of sifted icing sugar
- 1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large punnets raspberries (250/300g)
- 1 large punnet of blackberries – 225/300g
- 60g of toasted, chopped hazelnuts – for decoration.
Method
- Sift the icing sugar and mix with the ground almonds or hazelnuts.
- Whisk the egg whites with half the caster sugar and cream of tartar to soft peak stage. Add the rest of the sugar and whisk till firm peak stage.
- Remove bowl from mixer and mix in the mixture of icing sugar and ground nuts with a spatula to the meringue in two stages.
- Put half of the mixture into a piping bag with a plain nozzle, or just cut off the end of a disposable piping bag to give an opening of a £1 coin approx
- Starting in the centre of the traced circle, pipe meringue in a continuing radiating circle – see illustration until you reach the edge of the circle. Do the same with circle number 2.
- Sprinkle some chopped hazelnuts over one of the discs as this will be the top one.
- Put both trays in oven and bake for 25 – 30 minutes maximum. Transfer to cooling carefully to allow to fully harden.
- Add the sifted icing sugar and vanilla to the double cream and whip to soft peak stage.
- Using a spatula spread ¾ of the cream over the bottom of one disc to cover it up to the edge. Starting at the edge place one raspberry and alternate with one blackberry to complete the outer ring. Reserve 10 raspberries and 6 blackberries for top decoration. Put remaining berries over surface of the cream.
- Carefully lift top disc to cover the fruit cream filling. Pipe some cream in a small circle e.g. a coffee saucer diameter in centre of top disc. Place berries onto cream. See Photo.
Notes
- The Dacquoise should be served within 3 hours. The cream will soften it, but this will greatly help when you cut it into slices. Use a sharp, serrated knife.
- The discs can be prepared up to 24 hours in advance and left ready to assemble an hour or so before your guests arrive.