Mont Blanc with candied pecans

Name: Mont Blanc with candied pecans
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 100 g pack pecan nut halves; 1 tbsp dark brown soft sugar; 2 tbsp maple syrup; ⅛ tsp salt; 6 Cooks’ Ingredients Mini Eton Mess Meringues, crumbled

You’d be forgiven for associating Charmaine Katz's classic dessert of chestnut purée, cream and meringue with grand dining rooms or dinner parties. But it’s perfectly achievable and a joy to make at home. Follow Charmaine on Instagram and we have lots of other delicious chestnut recipes.

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Gluten freeVegetarian

Serves4
CourseDessert
Prepare30 mins
Cook20 mins
Total time50 mins
Pluscooling

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For the candied pecans and to assemble

100g pack pecan nut halves
1 tbsp dark brown soft sugar
2 tbsp maple syrup
⅛ tsp salt
6 Cooks’ Ingredients Mini Eton Mess Meringues, crumbled

For the chestnut purée

200g pack chestnut purée
60g icing sugar, or more to taste, plus extra to serve
20g salted butter, softened
⅛ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

For the cream

250ml double cream
100g mascarpone
⅛ tsp salt
30g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tsp brandy or dark rum

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan/ gas 4. In a small bowl, mix the pecans, soft sugar, maple syrup and salt until well combined. Line a baking tray with baking parchment, then spread the pecans out in an even layer. Bake for 10-15 minutes until toasted and golden and the sugar is bubbling. Set aside – the pecans will harden as they cool.
Put the chestnut purée into a bowl, sift in the icing sugar, add the butter and nutmeg, then beat with a wooden spoon until well combined with no lumps (see tip). Taste and add more sugar if preferred, but bear in mind the cream and meringues also add sweetness. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a fine nozzle or a disposable bag with the end snipped off. Set aside.
For the cream, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, then whip with a balloon whisk until soft peaks form.
Crumble the meringues into 6 coupe dishes, divide the cream between them, then shape gently into a point so the Mont Blancs have height. Pipe thin strands of the chestnut purée around the cream, from the bottom to the top. Cover any blotches with candied pecans. Serve immediately, with a dusting of icing sugar sifted over the top, to resemble a snowy mountain peak. You’ll have more pecans than you need for this recipe, so set aside the rest for snacking.

Cook’s tip

If the chestnut purée stays a bit lumpy, pass it through a sieve so it’s smooth enough to pipe with a small nozzle. A potato ricer also works. Otherwise, pop friendly dollops of whipped and chestnut cream straight onto the meringues.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe