Pecan toffee meringue with mulled pears

Serves 10 Prep 30 mins Cook 1 hr 10 mins £1.70 a portion 390 kcals, 14g fat, 5g sat. fat, 50g sugar

unfilled meringue only

FOR THE MULLED PEARS

600ml mulled wine, ready made

from a bottle 6 small, ripe, shapely pears, peeled,

quartered and cored 50g golden caster sugar

FOR THE PECAN & MERINGUE FILLING

225g golden caster sugar 1½ tsp cornflour 4 large egg whites 1½ tsp wine vinegar 50g pecans, roughly chopped 500g tub Greek yogurt 4 tbsp caramel sauce (we used

Carnation) extra toasted pecans (optional) 1 Put the wine, pears and sugar in a pan and simmer for 10 mins.

2 Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Draw a 25cm circle on baking parchment, then put on a baking sheet. Stir 225g sugar and cornflour together in a jug. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then whisk in the sugar mix, a tbsp at a time, until thick and glossy.

3 Fold in vinegar and half the nuts, then pile mixture onto the circle, building up the edges to make a ‘nest’. Scatter with rest of pecans then put in oven, turning the temperature down to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Bake for 1 hr, then turn oven off and cool inside for 1 hr.

4 Take the pears from the juice, then simmer the juice until it’s syrupy and glossy. Return the pears and cool. Stir the yogurt with the caramel sauce. To serve, pile the filling into the meringue and arrange the pears on top. Scatter with nuts, if using. Hand round the syrup for guests to spoon a little over.