Rhubarb and custard floating islands

Serves 4

■ Ready in 2 hours, plus cooling and chilling For the custard

■ 400ml semi-skimmed milk

■ 6 large egg yolks*

■ 2 level tbsp sweetener granules

■ 1 level tbsp cornflour

■ 1 tsp vanilla extract For the rhubarb

■ 400g pink rhubarb stalks, cut into 4cm chunks

■ Finely grated zest and juice of 1 small orange

■ 1 level tbsp sweetener granules For the meringue “islands”

■ 1 large egg white*

■ 25g caster sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 110C/ Fan 90C/Gas ¼. To make the custard, bring the milk to the boil in a small non-stick saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk the egg yolks and sweetener together in a heatproof bowl until they are thick and pale, then gradually whisk in the cornflour. 2 Slowly stir in the boiling milk and vanilla extract. Return the mixture to a clean pan and stir over a low heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Pour the custard through a sieve into a clean bowl and leave to cool. Cover and chill for at least four hours. 3 Meanwhile, cook the rhubarb. Spread out the rhubarb chunks in a shallow roasting tin and sprinkle over the orange zest, orange juice and sweetener. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1½ hours.

4 Remove the rhubarb from the oven and carefully strain the cooking juices into a small saucepan. Boil the juices rapidly over a high heat for 5-6 minutes or until slightly reduced and syrupy. Leave both the rhubarb and the syrup to cool.

5 Just before you want to eat, make the meringue “islands”. Bring 500ml water to a very gentle simmer in a large clean frying pan. Whisk the egg white in a clean bowl until white and foamy, add half the sugar and whisk into soft peaks. Gradually whisk in the remaining sugar to form a stiff, glossy meringue.

6 Scoop out a large dessert-spoonful of the meringue and, using another spoon, gently push it on to the hot water. Form three more islands and leave them to poach for 3 minutes each. They will puff up quite a bit so be careful not to overcrowd the pan.

7 Using a slotted spoon, lift the islands on to a tray lined with a clean tea towel and leave to drain. Stir the rhubarb chunks and spoon into four dessert glasses. Add a layer of custard, top with a poached meringue island and drizzle over the rhubarb syrup to serve.

■ Pregnant women, the elderly, babies and toddlers are advised to choose eggs showing the British Lion stamp if eating raw or partially cooked eggs.