Laskonky — walnut meringues with chocolate buttercream

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Preheat the oven to 150 °C. In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water without touching the water, whisk the egg whites and caster sugar until thick and glossy. Remove from the water bath. Gently fold in the walnuts and 100 g of icing sugar with a spatula.

Set a laskonky template on baking paper on a baking tray. Spread the meringue into the openings, then carefully lift off the template. Repeat with all the mixture. Dry in the oven for about 30 min, until the shells are dry and lift off the paper. Let cool on a rack.

While the shells bake, mix the pudding powder with some of the cold milk. Heat the remaining milk in a small saucepan. Add the pudding mixture and cook gently, whisking, until thick. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin forming.

Let the butter soften. Whisk the softened butter with the remaining 150 g of icing sugar. Gradually beat in the cold pudding until smooth. Spoon the cream onto half the cooled shells, then cover with the remaining shells. Refrigerate for 720 min before serving.