INGREDIENTS

Makes enough to fill 10 doughnuts

MERINGUE
2 egg whites
125 g (4 oz/generous ½ cup) caster
(superfine) sugar

CRÈME PÂTISSIÈRE
½ vanilla pod
250 g (1 cup) full-fat (whole) milk
6 egg yolks
60 g (2 oz/ ⅓ cup) caster (superfine) sugar
30 g (1 oz/3 heaped tablespoons)plain (all-purpose) flour

GARNISH
1 punnet of strawberries 60 g (¼ cup) double (heavy) cream
1 tablespoon caster (superfine) sugar

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 120ºC/90ºC fan/gas ½ (250ºF/225ºF fan). Line a baking sheet with baking paper.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy and white in colour.

Add the sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form. (You can do this in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk if you wish).

Fill a piping bag fitted with a 15-mm (½-in) plain nozzle (or cut a hole in the end of the bag) with the meringue mixture.

Pipe pencils of meringue, each about 8-cm (3-in) long, onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for two hours.

You do not want the meringue to colour, so a low and slow bake is essential. Meanwhile, prepare the crème pâtissière.

Split the vanilla pod open lengthways and scrape out the seeds.

Put the seeds, pod and milk into a heavy-based saucepan and bring slowly to the boil, to infuse the vanilla.

Meanwhile, place the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and mix together for a few seconds, then sift in the four and mix together.

Pour the boiling milk over the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to prevent curdling, then return the mixture to the pan and cook over a medium heat, whisking constantly for about three minutes, until nice and thick.

Pass through a fine sieve (strainer), then place a sheet of baking paper or a scattering of caster sugar on the surface of the custard to prevent a skin forming (don’t forget to keep your vanilla pod – wash and dry it to use again).

Leave the custard to cool, then refrigerate until cold.

To finish, chop the strawberries into 1-cm (½-in) pieces (reserving a few to slice and decorate the doughnuts) and roughly crush about half of the meringues.

Whip the cream and sugar together until thick, then fold in the chilled custard.

Finally, fold through the chopped strawberries and crushed meringues. Fill a piping bag with the mixture.

Fill each doughnut with the cream mixture, top with a generous shard of meringue and a sliced strawberry.

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