This dessert is perfect to serve to guests. It’s beautiful and delicious, served warm from the oven, and it’s actually not as difficult as it seems.

It uses frozen raspberries, which lets you make this at any time of year, but you could certainly use fresh ones when they’re in season. Separately it calls for plums, but you could also use peaches or nectarines (which I did), or any other soft and juicy fruit.

As for the cookie crumbs, the recipe uses amaretti cookies, but I used Pepperidge Farm Bordeaux cookies and loved the taste. Ginger cookies or any other crispy, special-tasting cookies would work just as well.

If you’re serving this for guests, keep in mind that you can make the fruit in advance, but you must make the meringue just before serving.

This recipe comes from Waitrose, a very nice British supermarket chain where I used to love to shop. I actually remember picking up the recipe card in the checkout line at my favorite Finchley Road branch. It stayed loose in my cookbook until now.

Serves 6

150g (5.3 oz) golden caster sugar or light brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
10 plums, quartered and stones removed (if using peaches or nectarines, cut into eighths)
200g (7 oz.) frozen raspberries
8 amaretti biscuits, crushed
3 medium egg whites

Preheat the oven to 220C or 430F degrees. Place a third of the sugar and the cinnamon stick in a medium-sized saucepan with 150ml (half a cup) of water. Gently heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the plums to the pan, bring to the boil, then simmer for 5 minutes, or until the plums have softened. Remove from the heat and stir in the frozen raspberries. Leave to stand for 5 minutes, then remove the cinnamon stick. Stop here if you make this ahead of time.

Divide the crushed biscuits among 6 small ramekins (in 200ml or 3/4 cup size), then spoon the stewed fruits over.

In a clean, dry bowl, whisk the egg whites to a stiff peak. Gradually whisk in the remaining sugar until you have a stiff, glossy meringue. Heap some meringue onto the top of each ramekin. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and cook in the oven for 5 minutes, or until the meringue is golden. Serve immediately.