Feijoa and walnut meringue cake

Feijoas are addictive. Their perfume should be encapsulated in a bottle as a cosmetic scent. However, it's their flesh - either raw or cooked - that is the true delight. Best served while crisp but also excellent the next day when the meringue has softened.

Ingredients

¾ cup	Walnut meal, or finely chopped walnuts
3	Egg whites
¾ cup	Caster sugar
½ cup	Lemon curd, or lime curd
300 ml	Cream, whipped until stiff
5	Feijoas, peeled and sliced (Main)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160C.
2. Place walnuts in a roasting pan.Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly toasted. Stir 2-3 times during baking. Reserve 3 tablespoons for garnishing the top.
3. To make meringue layers, beat egg whites, until stiff. Add 1/2 the caster sugar and beat until smooth. Carefully fold in remaining sugar and walnuts.Cover a baking tray or trays with baking paper and make three even circles of meringue mixture about 18cm in diameter. Bake for about 1 hour, until dry and crisp. Cool on a cake rack.
4. To assemble, place one meringue layer on a serving plate, top-side down.Spread with 1/4 cup of lemon curd. Top with 1/3 of whipped cream, then slices of feijoa. Top with another layer of meringue. Spread with remaining lemon curd, another 1/3 of the cream, and more feijoa.
5. Place the top layer on and cover with remaining cream and fruit. Garnish with the reserved walnut meal.