A Nadiya Hussein recipe.
Put 250g ground almonds in a non-stick pan and heat gently, stirring all the while, to toast the almonds. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
Whip 6 large egg whites until starting to go stiff, then add 200g caster sugar, a Tbs at a time, until the meringue forms stiff peaks.
Add 1 tsp almond extract, the toasted ground almonds and 25g cornflour and gently whisk this in. Line 3 baking sheets with baking parchment
on which you have drawn a 21cm circle as a template. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag and pipe 3 circles of meringue onto the 3 pieces
of baking paper. Sprinkle a handful of slivered almonds onto one of the meringue disks – this will be the top layer. Put into a 150°C oven
and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and move the trays around so they are on different shelves, then leave to dry out in the cooling oven.
Whisk 600ml double cream with 2 Tbs icing sugar, 1 Tbs cornflour and 1 tsp vanilla extract, until it forms stiff peaks, then fold in
100g pitted roughly chopped fresh cherries, together with 200g cherry jam, to create ripples of colour. Put a meringue disk onto a serving plate
and top this with half the cream. Place a second disk on top and spread with the remaining cream. Top with the last disk, with the almonds on.
Melt 100g dark chocolate in a microwave oven and drizzle over the top, and decorate with a sprig of cherries. Let chill in the refrigerator for an hour.