Feather-light meringues

Preheat the oven to 180 ºC. Line two baking sheets with baking paper and dust with cornflour.
Sift the icing sugar and mix in the almonds. Beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl until peaks start forming. Add the castor sugar, strawberry essence and colouring and beat until stiff. Fold in the almond mixture.
Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe 2 cm high meringues on the baking sheets. Flatten each meringue with a teaspoon to obtain a smooth surface.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until firm but still pink. Cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container until needed.
Sandwich the meringues together in two’s with jam just before serving.
Makes 25 meringues.