Granny’s Meringue Cake

Originally published in The Times article Thyme: the Most Stylish Lunch in Britain, by Tony Turnball. Images by Romas Foord.

Serves 4

For the meringue cake

• 4 egg whites, approximately 150g

• 300g caster sugar

• ½ tsp cider or white wine vinegar

• 1 level tsp cornflour

• Cream, gently whipped

• Poached pears, see below, cut into quarters

• Handful of blanched and toasted almonds, chopped

For the poached pears

• 4 pears

• 1 lemon, rind peeled into strips, juice reserved

• 500ml white wine

• 350g caster sugar

• 1 vanilla pod, split, seeds scraped out

• 3 bay leaves

• 10 black peppercorns

For the meringue cake

1 Preheat the oven to 110C/Gas ¼.

2 In a mixer, beat the egg whites in a scrupulously clean and dry bowl until they form stiff peaks. Bit by bit, slowly pour in the sugar until the mix is stiff and glossy. Then add the vinegar and cornflour and beat until incorporated (no more than 5-10 seconds).

3 Gently spoon the mixture onto an oven tray covered with a piece of baking paper and bake for 1 hour. Take it out and let it cool completely.

4 Top with whipped cream, poached pears and almonds.

For the poached pears

1 Peel the pears and add the lemon juice to prevent them from browning.

2 Put all the ingredients except for the pears into a pot with 500ml water. Bring to a simmer and drop in the pears. Cover them with a circle of baking paper, so that they stay under the surface, and allow them to soften. Don’t let the liquid boil, because that will make them break apart.

3 After about 20 minutes, test the pears with a paring knife; they should be soft to the core but holding their shape. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.