Ingredients

• 5 free-range egg whites
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 250g/9oz caster sugar
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 100g/3½oz dried cherries
• 100ml/3½fl oz kirsch
• 200ml/7fl oz red wine
• 1 orange
• juice only
• 75g/2¾oz light brown sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• few cardamom pods
• lightly crushed
• few allspice berries
• lightly crushed
• 1 piece pared orange zest
• 8 ripe plums
• stoned and quartered
• 300ml/10fl oz double or whipping cream
• whipped
• 1 tbsp icing sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon (optional)

Directions

• To make the meringue
• preheat the oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2. Draw a circle of around 23cm/9in in diameter on a sheet of baking parchment and then use the sheet to line a baking tray.
• Beat the egg whites in a stand mixer or with a hand-held electric whisk
• until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed from the bowl.
• Mix the cinnamon with the sugar
• then start adding this gradually to the eggs
• a tablespoon at a time to start with and then slightly more
• beating between each addition
• until the meringue is stiff and glossy. Sprinkle over the vinegar and fold in.
• Use a few blobs of the meringue to secure the baking parchment to the baking tray
• then pile the rest into the marked circle. Make a slight indentation in the middle and allow the meringue to come to peaks around the side.
• Bake in the oven for around an hour and 15 minutes
• to an hour and a half. The meringue should be crisp round the sides but with some give in the middle. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue to cool completely.
• To make the filling
• put the dried cherries in a small saucepan with the kirsch. Bring to the boil
• then turn down and simmer until the cherries are soft and plump and most of the kirsch has been absorbed.
• To make the spiced plums
• heat the wine
• orange juice
• sugar
• spices and orange zest into a saucepan. Stir on the low heat until the sugar has dissolved
• then bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes until the mixture is syrupy. Add the plums and poach in the liquid for a few minutes
• or until soft but still holding their shape.
• Remove the plums from the liquid
• peeling off the skins as you go – they should just fall off. Strain the cooking liquid.
• To assemble
• add the icing sugar and cinnamon (if using) to the whipped cream
• then stir a couple of tablespoons of the plum liquid with the cherries. Put the cream over the meringue base
• top with the plums and drizzle over any remaining liquid.