PLUM PAVLOVA

SERVES: 8 PREP: 20 MINS COOK: 1 HOUR 30 MINS

5 egg whites

1 tsp ground cinnamon 250g (9oz) caster sugar

1 tsp white wine vinegar Cherries:

100g (4oz) dried cherries 100ml (4 fl oz) kirsch Spiced plums:

200ml (7 fl oz) red wine Juice of 1 orange

75g (3oz) light brown sugar 1 cinnamon stick a few cardamom pods, lightly crushed a few allspice berries, lightly crushed

1 strip of thinly pared orange zest 8 ripe plums, stoned and quartered

To assemble:

300ml (½ pt) double or whipping cream

1 tbsp icing sugar

½ tsp cinnamon (optional)

1. First make the meringue. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Draw a circle of about 23cm (9in) in diameter on a sheet of baking paper and place this on a baking tray.

2. Beat the egg whites with a hand-held electric whisk, until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl.

3. Mix the cinnamon with the sugar, then slowly add this to the egg whites. Add a tablespoon at a time to start with and then slightly more, beating in between each addition, until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Sprinkle over the vinegar and fold it in.

4. Use a few blobs of the meringue to secure the baking paper to the baking tray, then pile the rest into the marked circle. Make a slight indentation in the middle and allow the meringue to form peaks around the side.

5. Bake the meringue in the oven for about 1hr 15 mins. It should be crisp round the sides but with some give in the middle. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue in there to cool completely.

6. To prepare the cherries, put them in a small saucepan with the kirsch. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the cherries are soft and plump and most of the kirsch has been absorbed.

7. To make the spiced plums, put the wine, orange juice, sugar, spices and orange zest in a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until the mixture is syrupy. Add the plums and poach them in the liquid for a few minutes, or until soft but still holding their shape.

8. Remove the plums from the liquid, peeling off the skins as you go. Strain the cooking liquid.

9. To assemble, whip the cream and add the icing sugar and the cinnamon, if using, then stir in a couple of tablespoons of the plum liquid and the cherries. Spoon the cream over the meringue base, top with the plums and drizzle over any remaining liquid.

Per serving: 417 cals, 20g fat (12.5g sat fat), 55g sugar, 0.13g salt