RASPBERRY MERINGUE

A firm favourite for the sweet course at Downton is meringue with fruit. It’s served instead of the desired apple charlotte when Mrs Patmore refuses to change her menu in season 1, and it’s on the table when Lord Grantham starts to fall for housemaid Jane in season 2.

Serves 6 For the meringue

2 egg whites

1tsp fresh lemon juice 115g (4oz) caster sugar

For the fool

225g (8oz) raspberries, plus extra

to serve

150ml (5fl oz) double cream

55g (2oz) caster sugar, plus extra

if needed

Preheat the oven to 110°C/fan 90°C/ gas ¼. Line a baking tray with parchment. Using a whisk or a handheld mixer on medium, beat the egg whites and lemon juice in a bowl until soft peaks form, increasing the speed to medium-high once the whites begin to thicken. Beating constantly, add the sugar a little at a time and beat until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. On the tray, pipe 6 meringue nests each 5-7.5cm wide — first outlining them, then filling the centres, and finally building up the sides — then pipe 6 separate small stars.

Bake the meringues for 2-2½ hours. They should be crisp to the touch and lift off the parchment easily. Let cool fully. To make the fool, purée the raspberries in a blender, then pass the purée through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds, or use a food mill, which will extract the seeds as it purées. (Removing the seeds is optional but would have been done in houses like Downton.) Combine the cream and sugar in a bowl and, using a whisk or a handheld mixer on a medium speed, whip together until soft peaks form. Gently fold in the purée just until no white streaks remain. Taste and add more sugar if you like but the fool should be fairly tart to contrast with the meringue. Both the meringues and fool can be made a day in advance. Store the meringues in an airtight container at room temperature, and cover the fool tightly in the fridge. When ready to serve, fill the meringues with the fool and top each one with a meringue star. Serve with the extra raspberries alongside.