Ingredients

150g egg whites, at room temperature

300g caster sugar

Red food colouring

1 tsp white wine vinegar

2 tsp vanilla paste

50g dark chocolate

200ml double cream

300g strawberries

12 Maraschino cherries in syrup (I use Starlino)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 120°C/100°C fan. Line a baking sheet with parchment parchment.

2. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Very gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, while whisking. Wait until the whites are stiff before adding more sugar. Add the food colouring, vinegar and 1 tsp vanilla paste. Continue whisking for 5 minutes after adding all the sugar. The meringue will be thick and glossy.

3. Spoon the meringue into a circle on the baking parchment. Using a spatula, pull up the sides to create height, turning the tray to help create the circle. Smooth down the centre and create a deep hole in the centre.

4. Bake the meringue in the lower third of the oven for 1½ to 2 hours. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue to cool in the oven.

5. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a small pan of simmering water. Drizzle the liquid chocolate over the meringue and leave to harden.

6. When ready to serve, add 1 tsp vanilla paste to the cream and whip to soft peaks, stir through a few tablespoons of the cherry syrup, then layer the cream, strawberries and cherries into the centre of the meringue. Drizzle with the cherry syrup and sprinkle with pistachio praline (see link below).

   Serves 8

   Optional: I sprinkled over some freeze-dried cherries, which added pops of chewy fruitiness. Not essential, just thought I’d let you know.