This is doubly sticky – gooey, mallowy meringue, hiding under a crisp crust, is paired with syrupy plums
Ingredients
- 1kg small plums
- 200g caster sugar, plus 2 tbsp
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 3-4 tbsp plum jam or quince conserve
- 4 egg whites
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 25g pistachios, chopped
- crème anglaise or custard, to serve
Method
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Halve larger plums and stone them, and leave smaller ones whole. Put into a saucepan with 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp cornflour. On the heat, stir for 1-2 mins until the cornflour disappears into the plum juices, then stir in 100ml water and the jam or conserve. Cover and simmer for 10-20 mins until the plums are tender and the sauce syrupy – splash in some more water if it looks a little dry. Scrape the pan contents into a large, shallow baking dish.
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Heat oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Whisk the egg whites in a clean mixing bowl until stiff. Whisk in the 200g sugar in 3 batches, beating the whites back to stiff between each addition. Whisk in remaining cornflour and vanilla and keep going until you have a lovely shiny, stiff mixture.
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Scoop 6 large spoonfuls of the meringue on top of the plums, scatter with pistachios, then bake for 30-40 mins until the meringues are crisp on top but still pale, and soft underneath. Eat warm or at room temperature, with cold crème anglaise or cold custard for pouring over.