A cross between a meringue and a soufflé, this has a melting texture and a vanilla aroma – perfect with strawberries and ice cream.
20g (1½ tbsp) butter, to grease
6 egg yolks
75g (heaped ½ cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar, plus extra to dust
2 vanilla pods, split
4 medium egg whites
100g (½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
400g (14oz) wild strawberries
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 and butter a shallow oval ovenproof dish, measuring about 30 x 20 cm (12 x 8in).
Put the egg yolks and icing sugar into a small bowl. Scrape out the seeds from the vanilla pods and add them to the bowl, then whisk the mixture to a ribbon consistency.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to a thick foam, then add the caster sugar and whisk until firm and smooth. Delicately fold half the egg whites into the yolk mixture with a skimmer or slotted spoon, then gently fold in the rest.
Immediately, spoon the meringue mixture into the buttered dish, heaping it into 2 or 3 little mounds, then smooth it with a palette knife. Bake at once in the oven for 3 – 4 minutes, just long enough to half-cook the meringue and to colour it lightly.
As soon as the meringue comes out of the oven, dust with icing sugar and arrange the strawberries around the edge. Serve immediately.
I sometimes top warm vanilla-flavoured apple compote with this meringue mixture and bake it briefly as above … give it a try.