Vanilla merveilleux

Preheat the oven to 120°C, gas mark ½. Line two baking sheets with baking paper and set them aside. Make sure the eggs are at room temperature, then separate the eggs yolks from the whites.

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form, approx. 3-4 minutes.

With the mixer on medium, add the sugar gradually, whipping for 1 minute between additions. Mix in the salt.

Using a ¼-cup measure or a ¼-cup ice cream scoop, scoop 24 round mounds of meringue onto the prepared sheets.

Bake for 30 minutes then turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool in the oven with the door closed for 30 minutes.

Remove 12 of the most wonky meringues from the sheets and place them in a plastic or paper bag. Crush these meringues with your hands until you get a coarse texture like breadcrumbs. Place this into a medium bowl and set it aside.

To make the filling, combine the creams, vanilla seeds and a pinch of salt in a bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.

To assemble each merveilleux, scoop a tablespoonful of the filling onto the flat side of a meringue. Top it with another meringue, flat side down and use another 5-6 tbsp of the cream to cover the top and fill in the sides.

Place the meringue sandwich in the bowl of crumbs and roll it around, using your hands or two spoons, until covered. Set it aside on a plate and repeat the process until all the merveilleux have been assembled. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours before serving so the merveilleux can firm up.

Merveilleux should be eaten the same day they are made.