Chestnut & Chocolate Meringue Sandwiches

1. Preheat the oven to 120c / 100 Fan / Gas 1/2.2. Prepare a baking sheet. Cut a sheet of greaseproof paper large enough to base line a baking sheet.  If you want your meringues of identical size, draw around a shape (perhaps a small glass or biscuit cutter) that is about 3-4cm in diameter. Turn the paper over so that the pencil marks are on the underside. Use the paper to base line a baking tray.3. Make the meringue.  Using a scrupulously clean and dry bowl and beaters (or balloon whisk), beat the egg white. Once it has increased in volume and is at the soft peak stage, add the sugar 1 teaspoon at a time. Continue to beat the meringue until all of the sugar has been incorporated. The meringue will now be glossy and very thick.4. Shape the meringue. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star piping nozzle (we used one with 1.5cm diameter). Pipe the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet (use the circles as a guide if using). You should be able to get around 24 small meringues. Any shapes you’re not happy with can easily be lifted back into the piping bag with a pallet knife (or similar), allowing the mixture to be re-piped. 5. Bake. Place the baking tray into the centre of the oven and bake for 1 hour. After the baking period has ended, turn the oven off, DO NOT open the oven door, allowing the meringues to cool slowly in the oven. Remove the meringues after at least 2 hours of cooling in the oven. If the baking tray is still a little warm return them back to the oven to cool further.6. Melt the chocolate. Break the chocolate into a bowl and set it over a pan of barely simmering water, ensuring that base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Allow the chocolate to melt, stirring frequently. Once melted, remove the bowl from the pan and set it on a teacloth / sheet of kitchen roll. 7. Dip the meringues. Cut a sheet of greaseproof paper and lay it on your work surface. Dip the base of each meringue into the melted chocolate one by one. Remove any surplus chocolate by gently wiping it on the spoon / spatula. Set the dipped meringue on the greaseproof paper to allow the chocolate to set.8. Pair up the meringues. Once the chocolate has set, pair each of the meringues with ones of equal / similar size.9. Make the chestnut cream filling. Place the chestnut puree into a bowl. It’s surprisingly quite thick.  Stir it with a spoon to ensure it is smooth. Add the double cream. Again stir it to ensure the chestnut puree is well combined with the cream. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract. Use a balloon or egg whisk to whip the cream to soft peak stage.  Avoid over whipping. Spoon the chestnut cream mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain round nozzle.10. Assemble the meringue sandwiches. Pipe a little of the chestnut mixture onto the flat side of one of the meringue shells. You may like to pipe one large circle or small ‘blobs’ which butt up to one another. Sandwich with the meringue’s pair. Set onto a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining meringues. 11. Enjoy!
Notes:
a)  Replace the golden caster sugar with white caster sugar if preferred.  b) Consider colouring the uncooked meringue with a food paste colourant.  c) Store the meringues in an airtight container until you are ready to coat them in chocolate and assemble them.  d)  Proceed with step 6 and beyond up to 2 or 3 hours before the meringue sandwiches are required.  e)  Use a clean dry cloth to wipe any chocolate from your fingers when dipping the meringues – this will help prevent the chocolate marking the white surface of the meringues, though if this happens consider dribbling any unused chocolate over the arranged meringue sandwiches to disguise the marks.  f) Rather than buying a ready made puree, make your own with any whole chestnuts you may have.