MERINGUE AND ICE CREAM DESSERTS

Preheat the oven to 130C/Gas ½; line 2 baking trays with non-stick baking paper and draw eight 7.5cm circles on the baking paper and turn over

Mix together the ground almonds and sugar; whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold in the sugar and almond mixture; spoon the meringue onto the 8 circles and spread evenly to within the marked lines

Bake for 1 hour; swap the trays round and bake for a further 30 minutes until firm and golden brown; transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely

For the filling, whisk the cream, sugar and vanilla together until soft peaks form; spoon into a piping bag

Transfer the meringues onto individual serving plates; put a scoop of ice cream on top of each one; pipe the cream over the top and dust with a little cocoa

Arrange 5 biscuits or chocolate pieces around the sides of each meringue pressing gently into the cream to hold

Serve immediately or freeze for several hours until ready to serve