Apricot meringue tart

Preheat the oven to 140 ºC (275 ºF). Draw two circles, about 20 cm in diameter, on a sheet of wax paper. Place the circles on two baking sheets. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar together until foamy. Add the castor sugar by the spoonful while beating continuously. Also add the pinch of salt and fold 75 g of the almond slivers into the mixture. (Alternatively, beat 15 ml of the castor sugar with the egg whites until soft peaks are formed and, using a metal spoon, fold in the remaining sugar with the almond slivers. These meringue layers will be crisp on the outside and soft inside, almost like marshmallows.) Sift a little cornflour on to the wax paper circles on the baking sheets and divide the meringue mixture between the two circles, spreading the mixture to form circles slightly smaller than those drawn on the wax paper. Bake the meringue layers for about 1 hour or until the meringue can easily be removed from the paper. Cool in the oven.

Purée the apricots, but set 4 apricots aside for decoration. Whip the cream with a little castor sugar or a little of the apricot juice until stiff. Add the apricot purée and blend well. Place one of the meringue layers on a serving platter. Spread with the apricot filling and place the remaining meringue layer on top. Dust with a little icing sugar. Fry the remaining almond slivers in a little oil until pale brown and sprinkle on top. Decorate with the remaining apricots and a sprig of mint. Serve immediately or freeze, removing the tart from the freezer shortly before serving. Makes a medium-sized tart.