Gill Meller’s Strawberry, Lemon & Elderflower Meringue

Method

1. Heat the oven to 120°C/Fan 100°C/Gas 1. First, make the meringue. Place the egg whites in a large, clean bowl. Whisk with a hand-held electric whisk until they form and hold soft peaks. (You can do this in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, if you prefer.) Keeping the whisk running, add 1 large spoonful of sugar at a time, until all the sugar is incorporated. Continue to whisk for a further 6–8 minutes, until the meringue is thick, pale, smooth and glossy.

Lightly grease a sheet of baking parchment and lay it on a large (at least 30 x 30cm) baking sheet. Spoon the meringue onto the parchment, trying to make a large disc with slightly peaked edges – it doesn’t have to be perfect. Bake the meringue in the oven for 25–30 minutes, then turn down the heat to 110°C/Fan 90°C/Gas 1⁄2 and bake for a further 2 hours, until the meringue has formed a crisp shell.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool. (If you’re not using the meringue straight away, store it in an airtight container for up to 1 week.) When you’re ready to serve the meringue, pour the cream into a large bowl and add half the lemon juice and half the zest and 2 tablespoons of the cordial. Whisk until the cream is thick enough to just hold soft peaks.

Place the strawberry slices in a bowl with the remaining lemon juice and the remaining cordial. Gently turn them to coat. Spoon the cream onto the meringue, top with strawberries and sprinkle over the sugar. Serve with a scattering of the remaining lemon zest and some elderflower petals, if they’re in season.