Balsamic Meringues with Strawberries

To make meringues, preheat a fan-forced oven to 70ºC. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

Combine egg whites and 300g caster sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a small saucepan of simmering water (being careful that the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved completely (you can check this by rubbing some of the mixture between your fingers, if it no longer feels gritty it is ready).

Transfer mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk on high speed until very stiff peak (you can also do this will a hand mixer but it will take a lot longer – around 10 mins). Add 60ml balsamic glaze and vanilla bean paste and whisk until just incorporated.

Spoon 8 large dollops of the meringue mixture onto the prepared tray. Use a spoon to gently flatten the tops then grind some black pepper over the top before baking for 6 hours. After 6 hours turn off the oven but leave the door slightly open (this helps meringues dry out without cracking).

When ready to serve, combine strawberries in bowl with the remaining 2 tbsp balsamic glaze and 2 tsp sugar. Spoon over the meringues and serve topped with ice-cream.