Rhubarb & Rosewater Eton Mess - cooking recipe

Ingredients

For the meringues
4 large egg whites
200 g (7 oz) golden caster sugar
1 pinch salt
For the rhubarb compote
100 ml (3.4 oz) boiling water
3 tablespoons golden caster sugar
4 sticks rhubarb, chopped in rounds (approx 450 grams or 1 pound)
1 teaspoon rose water
For the cream
500 ml (17 oz) double cream
1 vanilla pod
toasted slivered almonds, and crystallised rose petals to serve

Preparation

First make the meringues. Preheat the oven to 140C/120C FAN OVEN/GAS 1/284°F.
In a clean bowl or mixer whisk the egg whites until they reach firm peaks.
Gradually mix in the sugar and salt and whisk well until the mixture is thick white and glossy. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
Line a large baking tray with non stick baking parchment - use a little dab of the meringue mixture to stick it down.
Spoon the mixture into blobs on your baking tray leaving a generous gap between them. Bake for 1 hour.
Whilst the meringues are baking, make the rhubarb compote. In a pan, boil the water with the sugar and add the rhubarb when it starts bubbling. Stir and let it cook for about 5 minutes on a medium heat. When the rhubarb is tender, remove from the heat. Add the rose water and leave to the side.
Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
Split the vanilla pod down the middle and scrape out the seeds. Stir them into the whipped cream.
Place the cooled meringues on the serving plate, breaking a few of them up and leaving a few whole. Spoon the cream over the top, then drizzle the compote on top of the cream.
Lightly toast some almond slivers in a frying pan (nothing added) and sprinkle them over the top, delicately decorate with a few crystallised rose petals before sharing with your beloved.