I love this dessert, ‘Monte Bianco’. My mother used to do it for New Years eve and it always brings back beautiful memories. Having grown up in Switzerland, New Year was always very cold and the snow was thick outside. This dessert takes the name from one of our beautiful mountains in the alps.

• use a tin of very good quality chestnuts puree
• mix about 2 tablespoons of cream to lighten the paste up
• push it through a ‘potato ricer’ or a ‘spätzle press’

• on a serving dish, arrange the chestnut ‘vermicelli’
• cover it with meringues

• whip 250 ml of pure cream with a little sugar
• remember the chestnut puree and the meringues are already sweet

• decorate to your hearts content, let your imagination go wild.