Dan Lepard's chocolate honey meringues recipe

Aga , the oven people, invited me to cook the canapés for a do a few weeks ago, and for dessert I made an Eton mess-style dish of brandied cherries, an old black variety called Waterloo that I picked at Brogdale and bottled at home, served with whipped cream and miniature versions of these chocolate honey meringues. It's a knock-out dessert for a summer's evening, and works just as well made with fresh cherries that have been stoned and marinated overnight in brandy. 200g dark chocolate The whites from 4 medium eggs 175g caster sugar 50g honey 100g icing sugar, sifted Flaked almonds Cover a baking tray with foil or nonstick baking paper, and heat the oven to 140C (120C fan-assisted)/ 285F/gas mark 1. Melt the chocolate and set to one side. In a large bowl, and using an electric whisk, beat the egg whites until stiff, then add the caster sugar a third at a time, whisking on high speed until smooth, glossy and very thick, so the meringue mix holds its shape. Beat in the honey until just combined, then gently fold in the icing sugar. Gently fold in the chocolate – stop folding before it's fully amalgamated: you want it a little streaky. Place small spoonfuls on the prepared tray – the meringues will go flat if too big – scatter with almonds and bake for about two hours. danlepard.com/guardian