Summer berry meringues

• egg whites↗3
• lemon juice↗½ tsp tsp
• caster sugar↗150g g
• tub crème fraîche200ml ml
• natural yogurt↗200ml ml
• strawberry↗300g g

  hulled

• raspberry↗250g g
• mint↗small bunch

  leaves stripped and finely chopped

• fresh root ginger↗small knob

  peeled and finely grated

• icing sugar↗5 tbsp tbsp

  (you may not need it all)

• little sprigs of mint↗9

  and icing sugar, to decorate

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Heat oven to 110C/fan 90C/gas ¼. Tip the egg whites and lemon juice into the clean bowl of a food mixer. Whisk until the whites double in volume and hold a peak when the whisk is drawn through them. Keep the whisk running and add the sugar a tbsp at a time, incorporating completely before adding the next. Whisk until all the sugar has been added and the whites are glossy.

2. 2

   Place a square of baking parchment on a large baking sheet. Pencil nine circles, about 7cm each, onto the parchment. Spoon the meringue into a large piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle and pipe concentric rounds to fit each drawn circle, piping two or more rings around the edge to form a nest. Bake for 2 hrs until they are crisp and lift off the paper easily. Leave to cool completely.

3. 3

   Whisk the crème fraîche until stiff, then fold in the yogurt. Set 2 strawberries and 9 raspberries aside and roughly chop the rest. Tip the chopped berries, mint and ginger into a bowl. Sprinkle with a little icing sugar and use a wooden spoon to mash to a rough purée. Gently fold the berries into the yogurt mix, adding icing sugar to taste.

4. 4

   To assemble, cut the remaining strawberries into 9 slices and place a slice inside each meringue case. Generously share the rippled cream between the cases, then top with a raspberry and a mint sprig. Dust with a little icing sugar just before serving. ( Meringues keep in an airtight container for 2 days.)