You need the following for the meringue:
4 jumbo egg whites
225g castor sugar
5ml white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
Ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons of ground almonds (I ground whole almonds in my coffee grinder)
For the filling I used:
250ml fresh cream
1/2 teaspoon almond essence
About 100g of toasted flaked almonds
Raspberries (any berries will do)
Silver balls (optional)
Preheat the oven to 150'C.
Leave your eggs out of the fridge for a couple of hours to get to room temperature.
Separate the eggs carefully - there must be no yolk in the egg white, or they won't whip. You don't need the egg yolks for this recipe - turn them into a Creme brûlée or home made custard! The egg yolks also freeze really well.
In a clean bowl, whip your egg whites with an electric whisk until soft peaks form. It should look something like this:
Then, very slowly add the castor sugar, beating the mixture all of the time. The mixture will get beautifully glossy when it is ready. The trick is to make sure that the sugar has dissolved. Take a tiny pinch of the mixture and rub it between your fingers. You shouldn't feel any grains. If there are, continue beating.
Next, add the almond essence and vinegar and mix it in just until it is combined.
Now, prepare your baking sheet. Pop a few tiny bits of the meringue mixture on the tray (mine was 23 x 30cm) and use that to stick a sheet of baking paper onto it (like glue). Lightly spray the paper with a non-stick baking spray to prevent the meringue from sticking.
Spread the meringue mixture onto the baking tray and spread it so that it is fairly even.
Sprinkle some cinnamon and the raw ground almonds over the uncooked meringue.
Bake it for 25 to 30 minutes at 150'C, or until the meringue has just begun to brown.
Allow it to cool for at least an hour before assembling.
Toast some flaked almonds under the grill. This takes about 5 minutes.
You need to flip the meringue over, so that the cinnamon and nut side will be on the outside of the roulade. To flip it, place a second piece of baking paper on top of the meringue. Then place a wire rack (or something similar) on top and quickly flip it over. Then peel the baking paper off the meringue. The meringue will still be lying on top of the second piece of baking paper at this point. Keep it there, as you will need it to help you shortly...
Whip up the cream until it is fairly stiff.
Spread 3/4 of the cream over the meringue together with a few almonds and berries (keep the majority for the top!)
Using the baking paper to help you, gently roll up the meringue on the long side. It doesn't matter if it cracks a bit. That's part of the charm...
When it's almost rolled up, pop it onto the platter which you are going to use. Using the baking paper, shape it and make sure it's nicely rolled up, like a swiss roll.
Pop the rest of the cream on the top of the roll, and decorate the top with the remaining almonds and berries.
Keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
