MINI PAVLOVAS

SERVES 8

Our patisserie chef, Stefano Borella, loves a challenge. While he was caramelising a lemon tart using inulin, a powdered insoluble fibre derived from chicory, he wondered about using it for meringues, combined with the sweetness of erythritol, a zero-calorie natural sweetener made from fermented sugar beets. It worked brilliantly and now you can eat meringue with a wonderful flavour and still be sugar free.

FOR THE MERINGUES 50g erythritol 50g inulin powder 3 egg whites FOR THE COULIS 200g raspberries 1tsp vanilla extract

2tbsp erythritol or 2tsp honey (optional) FOR THE TOPPING 200ml whipping cream 2tsp vanilla extract 400g fresh berries 8 small mint leaves 1 Preheat the oven to 110C/gas ¼. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.

2 Make sure your mixing bowl is dry and greasefree. Powder the erythritol in a food processor so it resembles icing sugar. Mix in the inulin.

3 Whisk the egg whites until they have formed an opaque foam with soft peaks. Add the erythritol and inulin mixture 1tbsp at a time.

4 Keep whisking until you have a stiff, glossy foam. Use a metal spoon to shape meringues about 6–8cm wide and 5cm apart on the prepared baking sheet – they should be about 3cm high. Create a dip in the centre for the cream. You can also do this with a piping bag.

5 Bake the meringues for 45–50 minutes until set but still flexible and lightly browned. Remove them from the oven and leave to cool. They are best left out and will keep for 4 days.

6 Make the coulis by blending the raspberries, vanilla and the erythritol. Sieve to remove pips.

7 Whip the cream with the vanilla to form soft peaks. Just before serving, spoon the cream over the meringues and top with the fruit and mint leaves. Serve with the coulis on the side.