The Ingredients:
Meringue
3 large egg whites
175g caster sugar
75g toasted ground hazelnuts
275ml double cream
Whole toasted hazelnuts to decorate
Filling
150g dried apricots
Juice of 1 orange and 5cm strip of zest
4 tablespoons water
1 cinnamon stick
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
How To Make:
Line and grease 2 18cm loose bottom tins
Preheat oven to 150 degrees
Whisk egg whites in a large bowl to the stiff peak stage
Once whisked, add sugar one tablespoon at a time
With a metal spoon gently add the ground hazelnut and carefully fold through the meringue
Divide the mixture between the tins spreading it out as evenly as possible
Put tins in the middle of the oven and reduce the temperature to 140 degrees. Bake for 1 hour. Then turn off the heat and leave the meringues to cook in the oven or oven night.
Place all the ingredients for the filling (reserving half the orange juice) in a small saucepan and simmer for about 30 minutes without a lid.
Remove from the heat, take out the cinnamon stick and mash with a potato masher.
Whip the cream.
To Assemble
Layer half the apricot puree over the first meringue followed by half the cream. Then the next meringue, apricot and cream. Sprinkle with toasted hazelnuts and serve!