Mother's day recipes: almond meringues with rhubarb, strawberry and passion fruit, and rhubarb, strawberry and passion fruit jam

The combination of rhubarb, strawberries and passion fruit was popularised by my favourite pastry chef, Pierre Hermé, who turns that trio into macarons, tarts, verrines and jam. The first recipe would make an easy, delicious dessert for Mother's Day; the second recipe is my attempt at reproducing the Céleste jam made to Hermé's specifications by Christine Ferber in Alsace, France. Toasted almond meringues with rhubarb, strawberry and passion fruit (pictured) 100 grams ground almonds 90 grams egg whites, at room temperature ½ tsp fine sea salt ½ tsp fresh lemon juice 180 grams super-fine sugar About 500 grams double cream, chilled 1kg fresh rhubarb 500 grams strawberries 250 grams sugar, divided The pulp and seeds of 6-8 passion fruit Fresh mint leaves Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Spread the almond on a small tray and bake for about 10 minutes, stirring often, or until lightly toasted, then leave it to cool to room temperature. Turn the oven to 95 degrees and leave enough time for the temperature to adjust before baking the meringues. Trace 10 to 12 circles, each 6cm in diameter, on a sheet of parchment paper, spacing them about 2cm apart. Turn the paper over so the inked side is down - you should still be able to see the circles (if not, use a darker pen). Place the paper on a baking tray. With an electric mixer at a medium-low speed, whip the egg whites until frothy. Turn the speed to medium and whip in the salt and lemon juice, then add the super-fine sugar in a slow, steady stream. Increase the mixer speed to high and whip the meringue until it forms medium peaks. Gently fold in the toasted almond. Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with an 8mm plain tip. Using the traced circles as your guideline, and starting at the centre of each one, pipe the meringue in concentric circles to make 6cm discs. Pipe a rim on the perimeter of each disc. Use the excess meringue to pipe small blobs (about 1.5cm) on another sheet of parchment paper placed on a baking tray. Place the trays in the oven and bake the meringues at 95 degrees for two hours, or until completely dry. Turn off the heat but leave the meringues in the oven so they stay dry until it's time for dessert. If the rhubarb stalks are very wide, cut them in half lengthwise. Cut the stalks into 1cm pieces and put them in a bowl with 200 grams of sugar. Stir to combine then leave for about an hour (or longer), mixing occasionally. Remove and discard the stems from the strawberries then cut the fruit in halves or quarters, depending on the size. Mix the strawberries with 50 grams of sugar and leave for about an hour, mixing occasionally. Heat a skillet and add the rhubarb/sugar mixture. Cook briefly over a medium-high flame until the sugar is dissolved and the pieces are tender but still hold their shape. Transfer to a wide shallow bowl so the vegetable cools quickly. Heat the pan (no need to wash it) and cook the strawberry/sugar mixture the same way before putting it in a separate wide shallow bowl. When it's time to serve dessert, gently mix together the rhubarb and strawberries. Whip the double cream until it forms soft peaks. Put a meringue disc in the centre of each plate. Top the meringue with a spoonful of the double cream, then add the rhubarb and strawberry mixture, letting the juices spill over onto the plate. Top each portion with a few of the meringue blobs, then add a mint leaf. Spoon some of the passion fruit pulp and seed over the meringues and around the edge of each plate. Serve immediately. Rhubarb, strawberry and passion fruit jam 750 grams rhubarb 300 grams strawberries 700 grams granulated sugar, divided The pulp and seeds of 6-8 passion fruit About 30ml fresh lemon juice Cut the rhubarb into 1cm pieces, put them in a bowl, add 250 grams of sugar and stir to combine. Remove and discard the stems from the strawberries then put them in a bowl, add 100 grams of sugar and stir to combine. Leave both the bowls at room temperature for an hour or two, stirring occasionally, then cover with cling-film and refrigerate for about eight hours. Just before cooking the jam, wash four to six 250ml canning jars, fill them with boiling water and leave for a few minutes, then invert them so they drain. Put the canning lids in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Drain the rhubarb in a colander set over a large pan to capture the juices. Put the rhubarb back in its bowl and use the same colander to drain the strawberries over the pan. Put the strawberries back into their bowl. Add 350 grams of sugar to the juices in the pan and set it over a medium high flame. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then continue to cook until the liquid has reduced by about half. Add the rhubarb and cook, stirring often, for about five minutes. Add the strawberries and passion fruit and cook, stirring often, until the jam reaches its setting point - when you put some of the mixture on a chilled plate and draw your finger through it, it should leave a track mark. Stir in the lemon juice then ladle the jam into the sterilised canning jars and cover tightly with the lids. Put the jars in a deep pan with a kitchen cloth placed in the bottom. Add enough hot water to cover the jars by 1cm then bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the jars and leave them at room temperature until they seal. If you want to skip the boiling water step, store the jam in the fridge. Styling: Nellie Ming Lee

Mother's day recipes: almond meringues with rhubarb, strawberry and passion fruit, and rhubarb, strawberry and passion fruit jam

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Rhubarb, strawberries and passion fruit make for a fantastic, if unusual, combination in meringues and as a jam.

Rhubarb, strawberries and passion fruit make for a fantastic, if unusual, combination in meringues and as a jam.