8 egg whites
(about 250g; you can use the leftover yolks to make custard for a trifle)
about 500g caster sugar
50g slivered pistachios
(available online, or use roughly chopped)

For the berry compote

500g frozen mixed red berries
1 orange
zested and juiced
50g icing sugar

For the filling

600ml double cream
250ml mascarpone
100g icing sugar
drop of rosewater
or vanilla extract

To decorate

chocolate-covered malted milk balls
edible gold lustre dust
(optional)
75g pomegranate seeds
100g pink rose Turkish delight
crystallised rose petals
(optional)
gold sprinkles
(optional; we used round and star-shaped)
edible gold leaf
(optional)
gold star
for the top (see tip below)

Method

step 1
Weigh the egg whites in a large heatproof bowl for a precise measurement, then add double the weight of sugar. Whisk to combine. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water, ensuring the base doesn’t touch the water. Whisk for 10 mins, or until no grains of sugar remain when you rub the mixture between your fingertips. If you have a cook’s thermometer, it should be 70-72C.
step 2
Transfer to a stand mixer and whisk on high speed until the meringue is completely cool and holding stiff peaks – up to 25 mins. Alternatively, use an electric whisk, but it will take a little longer.
step 3
Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 2 and line two large baking sheets with baking parchment. On one sheet, draw an 8cm, 10cm and 12cm circle using a pencil (you can use plates or biscuit cutters as templates). On the second, draw a 14cm and 16cm circle (see tip, below). Flip over the parchment sheets so the pencil marks are on the bottom. Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle. Holding the bag about 1cm away from the baking sheets, pipe blobs over the circles until they are completely covered, topping the bag up with more meringue as needed. Alternatively, spoon the meringue over the circles and smooth using the back of the spoon. Use the last bit of meringue to pipe a single meringue kiss on a corner of one of the sheets – it should be about the size of a plum. Sprinkle half the pistachios over the meringues, then bake for 50 mins.
step 4
Check the smaller meringue discs first to see if they are baked – when ready, they will easily lift off the parchment. Remove the sheet of smaller meringues from the oven, then bake the larger discs for another 30 mins. When the discs are all baked, cool completely on the baking sheets. Will keep in a cool, dry place for up to four days.
step 5
For the compote, cook the berries, orange zest and juice and the icing sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat for 5-10 mins until syrupy, being careful not to break the berries down too much – you want some chunks of fruit. Leave to cool completely, then keep chilled until needed. For the decorations, roll the malted milk balls in edible gold lustre dust, if using, until fully coated. Set aside until needed.
step 6
For the filling, tip the cream, mascarpone, icing sugar and rosewater into a large bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Put the largest meringue disc on a cake board or stand. Carefully spread some of the filling over, spoon a little of the compote on top, scatter with some of the remaining pistachios, a few pomegranate seeds and some chunks of Turkish delight. Repeat the layers, using the next smallest meringue disc each time, until you have a tree shape, finishing with the meringue kiss. Decorate with the malted milk balls, rose petals, sprinkles and gold leaf, if using. Top with the gold star and serve. Best eaten within an hour of assembling, but leftovers will keep chilled for up to two days.

Recipe tips

PERFECT CIRCLES

If you have a variety of ramekins, plates and bowls, you can use these as templates for the meringue discs. If you have kids, you could also raid a pencil case for a mathematical compass. Or tie each end of a piece of string to a pencil, then roll the loop around another pencil until the string measures the radius (half the diameter) of the circle you want to draw: so, for a 10cm circle, you need the string to be 5cm. Hold one of the pencils firmly on the parchment and, pulling the string taut, use the other pencil to draw a circle. Lengthen or shorten the string to make bigger or smaller circles as required.

MAKE IT TALLER

If you want to make a larger meringue tree to serve more people, make an extra layer for the base. This will probably need to be cooked separately to the other layers, unless you have a large double oven. Whisk 2 egg whites with double the quantity of caster sugar, following steps one to three. Draw an 18cm circle on a sheet of baking parchment, then flip it over onto a baking sheet. Pipe over the meringue and bake for 1 hr 35 mins.

WHAT A STAR!

For a final Christmassy flourish, top your meringue tree with a star. You can use a Christmas decoration, a chocolate star, or make your own using sugar paste or fondant. For extra sparkle, paint or spray all the edible decorations gold using edible paint or lustre dust.

WHAT’S YOUR FLAVOUR?

Meringue-based desserts have many incarnations. We asked some of our contributors for their best flavour combinations for toppings:

Rukmini Iyer

“It would have to be passion fruit and thin shards of dark chocolate.”

Chetna Makan

“Either fresh berries and lemon curd, or the total other way – dark chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, cream and chopped hazelnuts.”

Ed Smith

“A syrupy, orangey, porty tumble of cranberries – cooked just enough so about half have burst and the others are on the verge – is lovely. There are probably some cloves in there, too, and mixed spice.”

Orlando Murrin

“How about a sort of rocky road effect? Fresh raspberries, mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and flakes of edible gold leaf.”