Mont Blanc, or Monte Bianco, depending on which side you’re admiring it from, is the highest peak in western Europe, straddling the Franco-Italian border like some magnificent, icing sugar-dusted dessert. With the mountain losing 2.2 metres in height in the past three years, however, the locals take a very dim view of anyone having a go with a spoon, so if you want a taste of a dish that Nigella Lawson describes as “my favourite pudding of all time”, you’re better off making your own.
Happily, it’s one of those desserts that looks much more impressive than it actually is – a relatively simple confection of meringue, chantilly cream and the chestnuts that once sustained the local population and, to quote Jay Rayner, “all the good things, with a light gloss of the adult”. Simple, but guaranteed to delight anyone who scales its heights after dinner – though a bracing walk may be advisable the next morning.
