Crisp brown meringues topped with cream and a delicious tart compote of red oranges in syrup

By Diana Henry

Serves six

If your red oranges are tart ones this is particularly lovely. You can add pomegranate seeds as well.

Ingredients for the meringues

-3 egg whites
-175g (6 oz) light-brown muscovado sugar
-250ml (9 fl oz) KDD Kwik Whip
-2 tbsp caster or icing sugar (or to taste)
-3 tbsp plain yogurt (optional)
-25g (1 oz) roughly chopped pistachios

Ingredients for the oranges

-250ml (9 fl oz) red-orange juice (about 4 oranges)
-Juice of 1 lemon
-150g (5½ oz) granulated sugar
-5 red oranges

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/gas mark 2. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then add the brown sugar in three lots, beating it in. Line a metal baking-tray with baking-paper and spoon on the meringue. You need to make six rounds, each about 9cm (3½ in) in diameter. Put in the oven and reduce the heat to 130°C/260°F/gas mark ¾. Cook for 55 minutes. Turn off the oven, leaving the meringues inside, and leave until the oven is cool. Gently peel them off the paper.
   
2. Put the red-orange juice, lemon and sugar into a pan and heat gently, stirring to help the sugar dissolve. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and reduce the mixture by about a half. The liquid will thicken as it cools but it should already look syrupy. Leave to cool completely. Cut a slice off each orange at the top and bottom so that they have a flat base. Remove the rind and pith from each orange, working round the fruit in broad strips. There should be no white left. Cut into slim wheels. Or, using a very sharp, fine-bladed knife, cut between the fleshy segments and the membrane on either side of them, easing the segments into a bowl.
   
3. Whip the cream, adding the sugar as you beat it. Stir in the yogurt (optional, but I like the tartness). Spoon some cream on top of each meringue, then add orange pieces and pour on some syrup. Scatter with pistachios and serve immediately.
   

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