Passion fruit and chocolate verrines topped with meringue

Makes 4 LARGE OR 8 SMALL Desserts and puddings

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Method

Cut the passion fruit in half and, using a teaspoon, scoop the flesh into a blender. Whizz just to loosen the juice from the seeds (without breaking them up). Push the juice through a fine sieve into a small pan over a moderate heat and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Discard the seeds. Place the pan over a medium heat and stir until the juice thickens enough to coat a spoon. Transfer to a bowl and leave to get cold.

To make the chocolate layers, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl with 100ml of the cream and the passion fruit powder. Place over a pan of barely simmering water for 5 minutes, so the base doesn’t touch the water. Leave aside to cool for about 5 minutes. Fold in the rest of the cream to create a soft, spoonable mousse. Put a layer in the base of each glass, making sure you keep enough back for a thin top layer. Keep the reserved mousse out of the fridge, but put the glasses in the fridge for the mousse to firm up a little.

Whisk the cream for the passion fruit layer until just floppy and creating gentle peaks. Do not over-whisk. Gently fold in two thirds of the cold passion fruit sauce to create a marbled effect. Spoon equal quantities onto the chocolate mousse in the glasses, adding a little more of the reserved passion fruit sauce as you go. Spoon the rest of the chocolate mousse over the top and set in the fridge again.

To make the meringue topping, put the egg whites into a large bowl with the sugar and have handheld electric beaters at the ready. Place over a pan of barely simmering water, without the base of the bowl touching the water. Whisk for 6-9 minutes, until the beaters leave patterns in the foam and soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Take off the heat and continue to whisk over a bowl of cold water for about 3 minutes until very stiff.

Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a plain 1.5cm nozzle and pipe all over the top of the chocolate mousse, in little peaks, as shown in the photograph. Dust with passion fruit powder and return to the fridge, removing 20 minutes before serving.