Christmas eton mess

Serves 8

meringue

Preheat the oven to 110°C/225°F/GAS Mark ¼.

Line a 20cm square baking sheet with baking paper.

Using an electric whisk on high speed, mix the egg whites with half the sugar. When thick and doubled in volume add half the remaining sugar and whisk for another five minutes then add the rest and whisk for another five.

Stir through the ground ginger, cornflour and lemon juice. Scoop the meringue onto the baking sheet into a pavlova shape and cook for 1½ hours. It should be crispy almost all the way through.

apple

Heat the apple, sugar and cinnamon in a pan until the apple goes soft. Leave to cool.

Cranberries

Heat cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice in a pan until the cranberries have softened and split. Leave to cool.

eggnog Cream

Whisk the cream with the icing sugar and vanilla seeds until thick. Stir in the custard, rum and bourbon.

To assemble

Break the meringue into a bowl and lightly fold in the eggnog cream and two-thirds of the apple and cranberry. Spoon into your serving dish and top with the remainder of the apple and cranberry. Grate over the nutmeg.