Rose Prince - The New English Kitchen - Changing the Way You Shop, Cook and Eat

Based on an Australian recipe, this is basically a meringue with chopped fruit and nuts folded in. You can make it into a pavlova-style cake with a layer of cream and fresh figs, which go well with the dried fruit inside, or make small, macaroon-style cakes to put on the table with cheese and coffee after a big dinner.

Serves 6–8

4 egg whites

270g/9oz golden icing sugar, sifted

90g/3oz dried apricots

90g/3oz dates

90g/3oz pecan nuts or green pistachios

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2 and line 2 baking sheets with baking parchment.

Put the egg whites and icing sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until stiff peaks of white foam are formed. This will take about 9 minutes, so a tabletop food mixer is best, although you can use a handheld mixer.

Chop the dried fruit and nuts finely in a food processor, but do not allow them to become a paste. Fold them into the meringue. Drop dessert-spoonfuls of the mixture on to the baking parchment, 5cm/2 inches apart. You should fit approximately 9 on each sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, until very pale brown and slightly cracked. Allow the meringues to cool on the trays, then lift them off the baking parchment.

Lemons and oranges should be washed or scrubbed before you use the zest, as they are sprayed with a protective covering, unless they are labelled unwaxed. In honesty, I do not always do this, and hope not to suffer as a result of my laziness.

A strip of orange zest in a beef stew, or a few parings of lemon in the cavity of a chicken, is all that is needed to brighten the flavour. You can also dry citrus peel by hanging strips of it on a mini ‘washing line’ in a warm cupboard – 48 hours should do it. It can be stored indefinitely and added to stews and sauces.

Keep the Parmesan away from this. It is delightful alone, clean flavoured and comforting, too. You could serve it as a side dish with grilled sardines.

Serves 4

zest and juice of 2 lemons

175ml/6fl oz best quality, extra virgin olive oil

400g/14oz dried egg linguine

15g/1/2oz butter

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