I love meringues, they are the perfect little vessels to carry a whole host of yummy fillings. The other wonderful thing about this dish is that you can make the compote and meringues the day before. Simply store the compote in the fridge and the meringues in an airtight tin and just assemble before serving.
150g caster sugar
6 egg whites
The compote
300g fresh blueberries
150g caster sugar
The filling
100ml Double cream
100g mascarpone or full fat cream cheese
100g mascarpone or full fat cream cheese
1 tbsp of vanilla bean paste
30g icing sugar
A little dark chocolate to shave over the dish
12 small mint leaves
Preheat the oven 100˚c
In a free standing machine with the whisk attachment whisk the egg whites to a medium peak stage, slowly and in a steady stream add the caster sugar, whisk until firm and glossy.
Spoon 8 equal spoonfuls onto a lined baking sheet and bake for two hours (or until the meringues peel away easily from the parchment) in a preheated oven or the simmering oven of your AGA.
Heat the blueberries and the caster sugar with a splash of water in a pan until all of the blueberries have popped and the sugar has melted and the liquid has started to evaporate and thicken, spoon into a bowl to cool to room temp.
Whisk together the cream, cream cheese or mascarpone icing sugar and vanilla bean paste until holding firm peaks. Add a spoonful of the creamy filling to four of the meringues and sandwich together with the remaining four.
To serve, divide the compote between four dishes and top with the meringue sandwiches. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings and dress with the mint leaves
