Meringue Kisses

The rich, creamy filling and tart cherries perfectly balance these sweet, light-as-a-feather meringues.

SERVES 4

3 large egg whites

about 200g caster sugar

pink food colouring

50g white chocolate, chopped

For the filling

300ml double cream

1 tbsp icing sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

about 4 tbsp cherry jam

To serve

8 fresh ripe cherries

You will need

6.5cm heart-shaped cutter

piping bag fitted with a 1cm round nozzle

Preheat the oven to 110?C/90?C fan/gas ?.

Drawing freehand or using a 6.5cm heartshaped cutter as a template, draw 8 hearts on to 2 sheets of baking parchment. Turn the sheets over and lay them on 2 baking sheets. There’s no need to grease the paper as meringue will later be used to secure the corners. Weigh a spotlessly clean bowl, then weigh the egg whites in it. Calculate their weight, double it and weigh that quantity of caster sugar into a separate bowl. Whisk the egg whites until they stand in soft peaks and the fluffy mixture doesn’t slip around in the bowl. You should be able to turn it upside down over your head without the mixture falling out. Whisk in the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, making sure each spoonful dissolves completely before adding the next. Dip a cocktail stick into the food colouring and add it to the meringue until you reach the depth of colour you want. Dot a little of the meringue under the corners of each piece of parchment to secure the paper to the baking sheet.

Recipes extracted from HEART ON A PLATE by Emma Marsden, published by Square Peg. Photography – Sarah Cuttle.