Coffee and Candied Walnut Meringue Roulade

INGREDIENTS:

For the Meringue:

• 5 Egg Whites
• 275g Caster Sugar, plus extra for dusting

For the Tuile:

• 115g Butter (softened)
• 140g Icing Sugar
• 3 Egg Whites
• 115g Plain Flour
• Brown and Purple Food Colouring
• Gold Food Spray

For the Candied Walnuts

• 150g Caster Sugar
• 150ml Water
• 200g Walnut Halves
• Vegetable Oil (for frying)

For the Filling

• 400ml Double Cream
• 10ml Camp Coffee
• 1 Vanilla Pod (split and deseeded)
• Vegetable Oil (for frying)

METHOD:

Meringue

Step 1:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease a 23cm x 33cm Swiss roll tin and line with silicone paper.

Step 2:

• Make sure your bowl and whisk are very clean, free of grease and completely dry, as any grease or water will affect the meringue.

Step 3:

• Place the egg whites in the bowl and whisk with a food mixer or an electric whisk on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking until the mixture is smooth and glossy.

Step 4:

• Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the surface.

Step 5:

• Bake for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Lower the oven temperature to 170°C/325°F/Gas mark 3 and bake for a further 15 minutes or until crisp.

Step 6:

• Remove from the oven and turn out of the tin onto a sheet of silicone paper dusted with caster sugar. Remove the paper from the base of the meringue and allow to cool.

Tuile

Step 1:

• Turn the oven up to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6.

Step 2:

• Beat the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl until smooth then whisk in the egg whites, one at a time, until smooth and shiny.

Step 3:

• Sieve the flour over the top and fold in gently, then tip half of the batch into a separate bowl. Use the food colouring to colour one batch brown and one purple then chill in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Step 4:

• Place a leaf stencil on a non-stick mat or silicone paper. Using a palette knife spread the tuile mixture very thinly over the stencil. Repeat across the mat or paper.

Step 5:

• Bake for 4-5 minutes, then immediately lay the leaves over the handle of a wooden spoon to curl the leaf shape. When cold and hardened, spray with edible gold spray.

Candied Walnuts

Step 1:

• Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring gently once. Simmer until the sugar has dissolved and the syrup thickened slightly.

Step 2:

• Add the walnuts and cook for 2–3 minutes. Empty the contents of the pan on to a sheet of silicone paper.

Step 3:

• Pour enough vegetable oil into a sauté pan to cover the bottom by 2cm and heat until just shimmering.

Step 4:

• Carefully place the candied walnuts, a few at a time, into the hot oil for a couple of minutes until golden brown. Drain again on a fresh sheet of silicone paper and leave to cool slightly.

For the filling

Step 1:

• Whisk the cream, Camp coffee and vanilla seeds in a bowl until it forms soft peaks.

Step 2:

• Spread it over the cooled meringue then scatter three-quarters of the walnuts over the cream.

Step 3:

• Starting at the long end, roll up the meringue using the paper to help you.