Recipe: Congolais or coconut rocks

1 Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C) (Gas mark 6).

2 In a mixing bowl (cul de poule), combine the egg whites and sugar, then place in a saucepan half-filled with water to create a bain-marie. Over heat, with a whisk (manual or electric), whip this mixture until it becomes too hot to touch (115°F (45°C) to 120°F (50°C)).

3 Remove the mixture from the heat, add the coconut, then the spoonful of jam, and continue whisking off the heat for 2 to 3 minutes.

4 On a Teflon or flexipan sheet, form small rocks with a spoon, about the size of a bocce ball, then round them out with wet fingers (you can also use a piping bag with a fluted tip).

5 Bake for 20 minutes in the middle of the oven.

The apricot jam added to these congolais brings an incomparable softness. I want to thank one of my friends, the late Norbert Vannier, pastry chef and Master Craftsman, who, long ago when we worked together, only used the technical notes from his apprenticeship master who later became famous and is now deceased: Gaston Lenôtre.