Ingredients
6 free-range egg whites
½ tsp cream of tartar
1½ cups caster sugar
2 Tbsp cornflour
3 tsp white vinegar
600ml thickened cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 x 125g punnets raspberries
Fresh cherries, to garnish
Chambord-poached cherries
½ cup caster sugar
500g cherries, pitted
80ml Chambord (black raspberry liqueur) or brandy
Method
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Preheat oven to 150°C fan-forced (170°C conventional). Trim baking paper to fit on 3 large oven or pizza trays. Use a 20cm-dia. plate or the base of a loose-bottomed cake tin to trace a circle in centre of each sheet. Line trays with marked baking paper, ink side down.
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Put egg whites in bowl of an electric mixer and beat, using whisk attachment, until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat for about 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 2 Tbsp at a time, beating well until mixture is thick and glossy and no longer grainy.
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Add cornflour and vinegar and whisk again until just combined.
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Evenly spoon mixture into centre of each marked circle. Use back of spoon to spread meringue to edges of each circle.
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Put meringue discs in oven. Immediately reduce heat to 120°C fan-forced (140°C conventional) and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until dry to touch. Turn oven off and leave meringue discs to cool completely in oven with door ajar.
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Meanwhile, to make Chambord-poached cherries, put sugar and 125ml water in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves and then bring to boil without stirring. Boil for 5 minutes or until sugar turns light golden. Remove from heat and stir in cherries and Chambord, then return to low heat, stirring until mixture is syrupy.
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Set aside for 15 minutes to cool slightly then transfer to a large bowl and put in fridge for 1 hour, or overnight, to chill.
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Put cream and vanilla in bowl of an electric mixer and beat, using whisk attachment, until soft peaks form.
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Put 1 meringue disc on a serving plate. Spoon 1/3 cream mixture on top. Scatter with 1/3 raspberries and a little of the Chambord cherries.
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Top with second disc, 1/2 remaining cream mixture, 1/2 remaining raspberries and a little more Chambord cherries.
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Top with remaining disc, remaining cream mixture, rest of raspberries and a little more Chambord cherries, letting syrup drizzle down sides.
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Garnish with fresh cherries and immediately serve with remaining Chambord cherries on side.
