Meringue Crown with Fresh Cream Blueberries & Blueberry Compote

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

Cooking Time: 1 Hour

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 5 large egg whites
• 350g caster sugar
• 1½ tsp activated charcoal powder
• ½ tsp blue gel food colouring
• 400ml double cream, whipped until soft peaks form
• 200g blueberries, crushed
• 150g blueberries
• 200ml apple juice

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 100°C.
2. For the meringue, whisk the egg whites until they have doubled in size. Use a stand mixer or hand mixer if you have one. Gradually add in the sugar one spoonful at a time, until the mixture is glossy and whipped to stiff peaks.
3. Add in the activated charcoal and blue food colouring. Fully incorporate until the mixture remains in the bowl when turned upside down.
4. Take a piece of baking paper and draw a circle approximately 180mm in diameter. You can use a side plate to measure this. Turn the baking paper upside down and place it on a baking tray.
5. Spoon the meringue mixture within the circle. Smooth the top and sides into a cylindrical shape with a spatula. With a clean spatula, start at the bottom of the cylinder and pull the meringue directly upwards to create ridges around the sides. Repeat process all around the meringue crown.
6. Place the tray into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Then turn the oven off and leave the meringue crown in there until the oven is fully cooled. This should take another hour.
7. Next, make the blueberry cream filling. Whip the double cream and crushed blueberries until stiff peaks form.
8. For the compote, add the ingredients into a pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes until the blueberries have broken down. Leave to cool before serving.
9. Compile the meringue crown. Pipe or spoon the whipped blueberry cream into the centre of the meringue. Drizzle with the blueberry compote and finish with a sprinkle of blueberries.