Eton mess with fruit and liqueur

Oven temperature: 100°C

Meringue
Heat the sugar, glucose and 65ml water together in a saucepan. Allow the sugar to dissolve and then reduce the heat and simmer until the syrup reaches hard-ball stage (125°C). (To test, drop a small amount of mixture into a little cold water. The mixture should form a hard ball.) Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the syrup in a thin, steady stream while the beater is running. Beat for 10 minutes until thick and glossy.

Reserve half of the mixture. Place spoonfuls of the remaining mixture onto a lined baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven until crisp. Switch off the oven and allow to cool inside the oven.

Heat the fresh fruit or berries with the castor sugar. Add a little water if necessary and simmer gently for 3-5 minutes until the fruit has softened. Remove from the heat and add the liqueur or brandy. Set aside to cool completely.

To serve
Roughly crush the cooked meringues. Whip the cream. Spoon some of the fruit filling into serving glasses. Fold the crushed meringues, whipped cream and the remaining fruit filling together gently. Spoon into the glasses.

Spoon the reserved meringue mixture into a piping bag. Pipe on top of each pudding. Use a blow torch to brown the top of the meringue.

Serve immediately.

Words and image: Ideas magazine

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