Lemon & plum meringue roulade

MORE OF A CHALLENGE

SERVES 8–10 PREP 30mins COOK 28 mins

5 egg whites 400g white caster sugar 2 lemon verbena sprigs, leaves picked,

plus extra to garnish 8 plums, halved, stoned then quartered 400ml double cream 225g good-quality lemon curd

1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease a 35 x 25cm Swiss roll tin and line with baking paper. Put the egg whites in a bowl and whisk with a food mixer or an electric whisk on high speed to soft peaks. Add 275g of the caster sugar, whisking until the mixture is smooth and glossy. 2 Spoon the meringue into the prepared tin and spread evenly to the edges using a palette knife, then scatter the lemon verbena over the top. Bake for 8 mins until golden brown, then lower the oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3 and bake for a further 10 min or until crisp. 3 Remove from the oven and turn out of the tin onto a clean tea towel. Remove the paper from the base of the meringue and allow to cool. 4 Put the plums in a saucepan with 100g sugar and 100ml water. Bring to the boil, then cook for 5-10 mins, just until the plums are softened. Whisk the double cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form, then whisk in the last 25g of the sugar and the lemon curd, and mix gently until it just holds a peak. 5 Spread the lemon cream over the cooled meringue, all the way to the edges, leaving a 1cm gap along one long edge, then spoon three-quarters of the cooked plums over the top. Starting at the long end with the border, roll up the meringue using the tea towel to help you. Roll it carefully off the tea towel onto a serving platter, and decorate with any remaining plums and lemon verbena. JAMES’S TIP The cooking times and temperatures are really vital. If it’s too hot, it cracks; if it’s too cold, it firms up and you won’t be able to roll it.