That dessert led us down Memory Lane, revisiting some of our favorite recipes. We remembered Yotam Ottolenghi’s giant meringues, which I made for our dinner group in March 2020. I remember the evening clearly because we spent much of it talking about a new virus and wondering whether we should lie low for “a few weeks.”

The following night we met another group of friends and had the same conversation. Driving home that Saturday night, we reluctantly agreed we should probably stay in for a while—but the next day the decision was made for us. The country went into lockdown.

I had taken plenty of photos that night, but somewhere during those early weeks everything else took over and I forgot all about this dessert. Thanks to last Friday night’s reminiscing, though, I’ve rediscovered it—and now finally have it to share.

My friend had been to Ottolenghi's London restaurant and came home raving about these enormous, fruit-splattered meringues. She dared me to try. I accepted. The meringues are majestic—each one practically its own centerpiece. They sit on a dessert plate as if they own it and need little else, though we served them with a tart blackberry sorbet. A lightly sweetened whipped cream would also work well.

As for the actual making of the dessert, the only guidance I received was that they were “big” and had a “fruit splatter.” Hmmm.....  I made a basic vanilla flavored meringue, plopped large glops onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet and baked until crisp on the outside but still slightly soft inside (not gooey—my husband is picky about this sort of thing). While they baked, I prepared the splatter paint: a small container of blackberries and a big spoonful of sugar, cooked until soft, then blitzed, strained, and cooled.

The final step was the best part. I carried the cooled meringues outside, armed with blackberry purée, and literally splattered away on the lawn like a pastry Jackson Pollock. It felt reckless and chaotic and I highly recommend! I could not find his recipe to share, but to recreate it use a basic meringue such as this recipe. I did not add any extra flavorings except vanilla and baked them to our particular liking. They can be baked soft or crispy or any texture in between.

My friends, these are a simple dessert and not nearly as complicated as some would have you think. Give them a try next time you want to wow your guests.