Ingredients

Serves 4

3 (100g) egg whites
230g sugar
60g powdered coconut
750g strawberries
45ml lemon juice
100ml double cream
Champagne (optional)
Vanilla ice cream (eg Häagen-Dazs)

First, make the coconut meringues. Preheat the oven to 100C/200F/Gas Mark 1-2. Place a bowl over a pan of warm water and put in the egg whites. Beat until the whites form soft peaks, then add 100g of the sugar. Continue to beat for another 5 minutes (if using a whisk, beat at low speed), then incorporate the coconut.

Pipe or spoon the beaten mixture onto a nonstick baking sheet and cook in the oven until crisp all the way through (about 1 hour, but you will need to check). When cooked, break the meringues into 1cm sq pieces and set aside.

To make the coulis, mix 500g of the strawberries with 120g of sugar and 40ml of the lemon juice. Blitz in a food processor, then pass through a sieve. Set aside.

Roughly chop 150g of the remaining strawberries and mix with 1 tsp of the sugar. Whip the double cream lightly and mix with these strawberries, then add a few drops of lemon juice, to taste. Set aside. Sprinkle the remaining strawberries with 1 level tsp of sugar, then set aside for 1 hour.

Take 4 glass ice-cream coupes and place the sugared strawberries in the bottom. Sprinkle over a little champagne, if using. Spoon some of the strawberry coulis on top. Mix the creamed strawberries with the meringue pieces and spoon over (any excess meringues will keep for weeks in an airtight container). Finish with a ball of ice cream and serve.

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