Meringue with rhubarb and strawberry jam

For the jam, clean and chop the strawberries and rhubarb. Simmer with the sugar until soft.

Prepare the shortbread dough. It is best to do that on a table. Sift the flour through a sieve on the table and make a hollow in the middle of the pile. Mix the butter, sugar and egg in the hollow, and then start adding flour from the sides. Mix until the dough is smooth (shortbread dough should not be overly mixed – the less it is mixed and kneaded the better). Wrap the ball of dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Grease the cups of a standard-sized muffin tin with butter. Divide the dough into six even parts. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the cups. Cover the sides of the cases with aluminium foil (you may also cover the bottoms) and pre-bake in the oven at 200 °C for about 15 minutes (covering the base of the cakes with foil helps them to retain their shape).

While the pastry cases are baking, prepare the meringue. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and add the sugar a little at a time, whisking continuously. The meringue is ready when it is firm and shiny and stiff peaks form when you lift the whisk (mixer blades) out. Take the pastry cases out of the oven to cool and decrease the temperature of the oven to 160 °C. Spread some jam on the bottom of each case and use a pastry bag to top them with meringue. Bake the cakes until the top of the meringue is brown (about 10–15 minutes).