Lucas Hollweg’s Autumn Mess with Blackberries

Serves 4

For the meringues:

  • 2 medium egg whites
  • a pinch of salt
  • 100g (3½oz) caster sugar

For the mess:

  • 400g (14oz) blackberries
  • ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 125ml (4fl oz) crème de cassis or, even better, crème de mûre
  • 400ml (14fl oz) double cream
  • a few drops of natural vanilla extract

Start with the meringues – they’ll need several hours to cook and cool. You could happily make them the day before.

  1. Preheat the oven to 110°C/225°F/Gas Mark ¼. Any traces of grease or egg yolk will stop the egg whites from whisking properly, so wash the bowl and whisk thoroughly before you start.
  2. Cut 2 pieces of baking parchment to fit 2 baking sheets.
  3. Put the whites in the bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk at medium speed until they form stiff peaks. When you lift the whisk, the whites should keep their peaks without flopping.
  4. Whisking at a high speed, add 1 tbsp of the sugar and beat in for about 5 seconds. Whisk in the remaining sugar, a third at a time, then continue whisking for another 30 seconds until glossy and thick.
  5. Use tiny dabs of the mixture at the corners of the baking sheets to keep the baking parchment in place. Use a tablespoon to make 4 equal piles of the mixture on each sheet.
  6. Place in the oven and cook for 1¼–1½ hours, or until they lift cleanly from the baking parchment and the bottoms sound hollow when tapped. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside until cold.
  7. Keep back a handful of the blackberries, then lightly squash the rest with a fork. You want a mix of mush and semi-intact fruit. Add the cinnamon and half the crème de mûre or cassis.
  8. Beat the cream to a soft cloud with a bit of vanilla. It should be foppish and floppy rather than regimentally stiff. Crumble in chunks of meringue, add the mixed crushed berries and fold loosely together. Divide between 4 bowls or glasses, scatter with the few remaining whole berries and dribble a bit of the crème de mûre or cassis over the top.

Credits

This recipe was produced with kind permission of Collins publishing.