Tray Baked Meringue W Pears, Cream, Toasted Hazelnuts, Chocolate

this dish to me, is a assembly of wonderful sweet friends. having one slab of meringue means serving it is dead easy. feel free to make up your own topping combination. Other good ones I really like are chestnut puree mixed with cream and chocolate or other soft fruits with praline

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 4  large  egg whites (i prefer organic or free-range eggs)
• 200  g  golden caster sugar
• 1  pinch sea salt
• 100  g hazelnuts, skins removed
• 800  g  pears in light syrup
• 200  g dark chocolate
• 400  ml  double cream
• 50  g icing sugar, sifted
• 1  vanilla pod, halved and seeds scraped out
• 1  orange, zest of

• optional

• 2  pieces gingerroot, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2 and line 40 x 25cm baking tray with a sheet of greaseproof paper.
2. Put your egg whites into a squeaky clean bowl, making sure there are absolutely no little pieces of egg shell or egg yolk in them.
3. Whisk on medium until the whites form firm peaks.
4. With your mixer still running, gradually add the sugar and the pinch of salt.
5. Turn the mixer up to the highest setting and whisk for about 7-8 minutes, until the meringue mixture is white and glossy, to test whether it's done you can pinch some between your fingers- if it feels completely smooth it's ready; if it's slightly granular it needs a little more whisking.
6. Dot each corner of the greaseproof paper with a blob of meringue, then turn it over and stick it to the baking tray, spoon the meringue out onto the paper, using the back of a spoon, shape and swirl it into a A4 size rectangle.
7. Place in the preheated oven and bake for a hour or until crisp on the outside and a little soft and sticky on the inside, at the same time bake the hazelnuts on a separate tray in the oven for a hour or until golden brown.
8. Drain the tin of pears, reserving the syrup from the tin, cut each pear into 6 slices.
9. Pour the pear syrup into a saucepan (with the ginger) and warm gently over a medium heat until it starts to simmer.
10. Take off the heat and snap the chocolate into saucepan with the syrup, stirring with a spoon until its all melted.
11. Take the meringue and hazelnuts out of the oven and leave to cool.
12. Place the meringue on a nice rustic board or platter.
13. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla seeds until it forms smooth soft peaks.
14. Smash the toasted hazelnuts (in a tea towel) and sprinkle half of them over the meringue.
15. Spoon half the whipped cream over the top of the meringue and drizzle with some of the chocolate syrup sauce.
16. Divide most of the pear pieces evenly over the top, pile on the rest of the whipped cream, drizzle with the chocolate syrup sauce and the rest of the hazelnuts.
17. Serve straight away.