Ingredients

• 6 dark-purple ripe plums
• halved and stones removed
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 orange
• juice and finely pared or grated zest
• 2–3 tbsp runny honey (depending on how sweet the plums are)
• pinch ground ginger
• 2 tsp amaretto (optional)
• 4 large egg whites
• 200g/7oz caster sugar
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 75g/2½oz pistachio nuts
• toasted
• 50g/1¾oz caster sugar
• 150ml/5fl oz double cream
• 150ml/5fl oz full-fat milk
• 1 rosemary stalk
• 4 large free-range egg yolks
• 65g/2¼oz sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4.
• For the plums
• place all the ingredients except the orange zest in a small roasting tin or shallow ovenproof dish
• and cover with kitchen foil. Roast for 20–30 minutes
• or until the plums are tender and juicy. Set aside until ready to serve.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 120C/100C Fan/Gas ¼.
• For the meringues
• using an electric whisk
• whisk the egg whites in a very clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually whisk in the sugar a tablespoon at a time. Whisk in the cornflour and vinegar. Continue whisking until the meringue is stiff and glossy
• Transfer the meringue to a large piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe around 60 small meringues onto a large baking tray (or two smaller baking trays) lined with baking paper. Bake for 1–1½ hours
• or until pale and crisp on the outside and marshmallow-like on the inside. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool in the oven with the door slightly open.
• For the pistachio praline
• put 50g/1¾oz of the toasted pistachios in a food processor and pulse to make fine crumbs. Coarsely chop the remaining pistachios and set aside until ready to serve.
• Make a caramel by stirring the sugar and 5 tablespoons water in a small saucepan over a low heat until dissolved. Stop stirring
• increase the heat and cook until the sugar syrup turns a rich golden-brown. Pour onto a piece of baking paper on a baking tray and immediately sprinkle with the pistachio crumbs. Leave to set. When hard
• break into pieces and blitz back into crumbs in the food processor. Set aside until ready to serve.
• For the crème anglaise
• put the cream
• milk and rosemary in saucepan. Bring to the boil
• then remove from the heat. Leave for 10 minutes. Discard the rosemary.
• Beat the egg yolks
• sugar and vanilla in a bowl until well combined. Slowly pour the hot milk mixture into the bowl
• beating all the time. Pass through a sieve into a medium non-stick saucepan. Cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes
• stirring constantly until the custard lightly coats the back of the spoon. (The custard will continue to thicken as it cools.) Remove from the heat and cover the surface of the custard with cling film to stop a skin forming. Leave to cool.
• To serve
• skin the plums and cut each half and in half again. Divide between six plates and spoon over the plum juice. Add four small heaps of pistachio praline to each plate and top with four meringues. (Keep any extra meringues in an airtight container and use within 2–3 days.) Spoon a little of the crème anglaise around the meringues and serve the rest separately. Sprinkle with the remaining toasted pistachios
• scatter with orange zest and serve immediately.