Preheat the oven to 130°C (265°F), Gas Mark ¾.
First, make the meringues. Put the egg whites and cream of tartar or lemon
juice in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and
whisk on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Increase the speed and
whisk in the sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking well between additions and then the vanilla extract, until the mixture is thick and glossy.
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment and grease it with butter.
Place the meringue mixture in a piping bag fitted with a medium star
piping nozzle and pipe small rosettes on to the greased baking parchment.
Bake for about 2 hours or until dry.
Meanwhile, follow the method on page 230 to prepare the caramelized nuts.
When the meringues are ready, remove from the oven and leave to cool
on the baking sheet, then crush.
Add the cream and egg yolks to the cleaned bowl of your stand mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until thick.
Add two-thirds of the caramelized nuts and then the crushed meringues and mix together.
Tip the mixture into a deep round mould or baking tin about 20cm (4 inch) in diameter and 8cm (3¼ inches) deep, or a long rectangular mould or
baking tin about 30 x 9cm (12 x 3½ inches) and 7cm (2¾ inches) deep.
Cover with clingfilm and place in the freezer for at least 24 hours before
serving. (You can store it in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.)
For the caramelised nuts, heat a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add half the sugar in an even layer and heat over a medium heat,
without stirring, until it starts to melt at the edges.
Swirl the pan to distribute the melted sugar around the pan so that it doesn’t burn and to help the
rest melt, then continue to heat until all the sugar has caramelised. Then immediately add the remaining sugar and swirl the pan to distribute the
melted sugar as before. Continue to heat until all the sugar has caramelised.
As soon as the caramel is ready, add the nuts and toss them around until well coated. Transfer to a sheet of baking parchment and leave to cool.
When you are ready to serve, melt the chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Unmould the
armenovil by dipping the base of the mould briefly in hot water and turning out on to a serving platter. Pour the hot chocolate sauce over the top and
serve immediately decorated with the remaining caramelized nuts.