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This French dessert, not to be confused with the cheese of the same name, has layers of crisp meringue discs sandwiched between ice cream and sorbet.
SERVES 8 PREP 35min, plus cooling and freezing COOK 1hr
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4tsp cream of tartar
• 175g caster sugar
• 1kg vanilla ice cream
• 500g raspberry sorbet
• 250ml double cream, whipped
• 1tsp vanilla paste
• About 80g raspberries, to decorate
1 Heat oven to 160°C (140°C fan) mark 3. Draw a 20cm circle on 2 sheets of baking paper and use to line 2 baking trays. 2 First, make the meringue. Whisk egg whites in a stand mixer with the cream of tartar until they form soft peaks. Add caster sugar 1tbsp at a time, making sure the sugar is fully incorporated before adding next spoonful. Once you have used up all the sugar, whisk until meringue is thick, glossy and forms stiff peaks.
3 Using the 20cm circles on the baking paper as a guide, spread ½ the meringue on each sheet of baking paper, to form 2 circles. Smooth each surface with a palette knife and place the trays in the oven to bake the meringues for 1hr, until crisp. Turn off the oven, and without opening the oven door, leave the meringues to cool in the oven for 1hr.
4 Once cooled, remove the meringues from oven and trim to fit into a 20cm springform tin. Place 1 meringue disc in the base of the tin.
5 Cover the meringue base with
½ the vanilla ice cream, then cover the vanilla ice cream with all the raspberry sorbet, in an even layer.
Use the remaining vanilla ice cream to cover the raspberry sorbet, forming a third layer. Top this with the other meringue disc. Place the vacherin in the freezer for at least 1hr.
6 Remove the vacherin from the freezer 20min before serving. (To help free the vacherin from the tin, wrap a hot cloth around the sides for a few minutes.) Transfer to a serving plate.
7 To finish, mix the whipped cream with the vanilla paste, then spread or pipe the flavoured cream over the uppermost meringue. Decorate with raspberries and serve straightaway.