Method

Heat the oven to 130°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment or use a non-stick silicone base

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a whisk (hand held or electric) until fluffy and just getting to a stiff texture. Then gradually whisk in caster sugar until glossy and the mixture forms stiff peaks. Now quickly whisk in the vinegar, cornflour and vanilla extract. Finally, sprinkle cocoa powder over the meringue mix using a sieve and gently fold once or twice so it is marbled

Spoon the meringue onto the lined baking tray and spread it out using the back of the spoon to make a rough 25cm circle of meringue with a slight lip around the edge. You can pipe this if you prefer

Bake the meringue in the oven for an hour and a half. Turn off the oven and leave to cool completely with the oven door open a smidgeon. When cool, transfer to a plate

You can freeze the meringue to use at a later date or keep in an air tight container for a week

Drain the cherries in a sieve over a saucepan and then boil the cherry syrup down until you’ve got about 4tbsp of syrup. Take off the heat and allow to cool

On the morning of the day you want to serve the dessert just whisk the cream and icing sugar together until thick. Pour over the Amaretto and give a final quick whisk to bring it all together. You can chill the cream until required

Don’t forget to remove the meringue from the freezer a few hours before service if you’ve made this well in advance

Just before presenting the dessert, spoon the cream into the centre of the meringue, garnish with the cherries, spoon over with the reduced cherry syrup, then sprinkle over the top with crushed Amaretti biscuits