Mont Blanc

Method

1. Prepare the meringue bases: on a sheet of parchment paper, trace circles of 12 cm, 10 cm, 8 cm, and 6 cm diameter using bowls or other round objects.
2. Make French meringue: whip 210 g of egg whites with a pinch of sugar (about 10% of total sugar) at medium speed until frothy. Gradually add the remaining 420 g of sugar while increasing speed; whip until stiff peaks form (becco d'uccello). Use eggs at room temperature and fresh eggs for better stability.
3. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle (size 8-10 mm). Pipe concentric circles inside each drawn circle on the parchment, starting from the outer edge, maintaining an even height.
4. Bake the meringue discs at 100 °C (212 °F) for 1½ hours. Without opening the oven, turn off the heat and let the meringues rest inside for half a day to dry completely.
5. Remove the dried meringue discs and level any uneven edges with a knife or serrated tool.
6. Whip 375 g of heavy cream (35–38% fat) with the seeds of 1 vanilla bean until stiff peaks form. Keep the cream very cold (you can chill the bowl in the freezer for 3–4 minutes before whipping).
7. Assemble the Mont Blanc: place the largest meringue disc on a serving plate. Pipe a border of whipped cream around the edge, then fill the center with chopped marron glacé. Repeat with the next disc, stacking and alternating cream and marron glacé, ending with the smallest disc on top.
8. Fill any gaps between the discs with whipped cream. Using a spatula, coat the entire outside of the stacked discs with a mixture of chestnut cream (crema di marroni) and softened butter (20% of the weight of the chestnut cream). Smooth roughly to create a bark-like texture.
9. Decorate the surface with gold leaf flakes and additional marron glacé pieces if desired. Refrigerate until serving.
10. Serve chilled in thin slices.