Vegan meringues with coconut cream and roasted plums

The liquid from a tin of cooked chickpeas makes a great substitute for egg whites in this vegan pavlova.

Vegan meringue by David Herbert. Styling David Morgan. Photography Guy Bailey

It may be hard to believe, but the liquid from a tin of cooked chickpeas makes a great substitute for egg whites in this vegan pavlova (and in some cake recipes, too). I serve the pavlovas with roasted plums, but any fresh fruit will work.

Vegan meringues with coconut cream and roasted plums

Sunflower or peanut oil

1 x 400g tin chickpeas

150g caster sugar

1½ teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coconut cream, to serve

Heat oven to 100°C (fan). Line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper and brush with a little oil. Drain chickpea liquid into a bowl and put chickpeas in the fridge or freezer to use for another dish. Pour 150ml of the liquid into the bowl of a benchtop mixer, add a pinch of salt and whisk on high speed until white and very stiff. In a bowl, combine sugar and cream of tartar. Turn down mixer speed a little, then add sugar mixture to the stiffened chickpea juice one tablespoon at a time, until it is all combined, making sure each tablespoon of sugar has dissolved before you add the next. Add vanilla extract, then whiz on high for another couple of minutes. The meringue should now look very thick and glossy.

Spoon 10-12 piles of meringue mixture on to baking trays, making sure they have a little space to spread. Bake for two hours until crisp on the outside, turn off oven and leave meringues inside to cool completely (do not open the door while the meringues are cooking or cooling). The meringues will keep for two to three days in a sealed container. Whip the coconut cream, dollop onto meringues and serve with roasted plums and juice. Makes 10-12

Roasted plums

500g plums

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Zest and juice 1 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 160°C (fan). Halve any large plums and leave smaller ones whole. Arrange in a roasting dish in a single layer. Sprinkle over sugar and zest; pour over orange juice and vanilla extract. Roast for 20-30 minutes, then allow to cool. Chill plums and any cooking liquid before serving. Roasted plums and cooking liquid can be kept in the fridge for up to three days.