Preheat the oven to 120°C fan.

Put the egg whites into a bowl with a pinch of salt and beat with an electric whisk until they form soft peaks. Keep whisking and gradually add the sugar, 2 spoonfuls at a time, whisking for 20 to 30 seconds between each addition. Keep whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is stiff and shiny. Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle.

Put a piece of baking paper on a baking tray and place a plate of approximately 23cm diameter onto it. With a pencil, draw a circle around the plate. Remove the plate and put a small bowl in the middle of the circle, then draw a circle around it. Remove the bowl.

Pipe little meringue mounts into the circle drawn on the baking paper to create a wreath.

Bake the meringue for 90 minutes in the preheated oven. Switch off the oven and leave the meringue in the warm oven for another 2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the pears. Cut the pears into quarters, remove the core, peel and cut into thin wedges. Put the mulled wine (and the spices if using) into a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Add the pears to the wine and cook on a medium heat for approximately 25 minutes, until the pears are tender. Leave to cool in the wine for at least 2 hours.

In a bow, whip the cream and sugar (and a good grating of tonka bean if using) until stiff. Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a star-shaped nozzle and set aside.

Roughly chop the candied almonds and set aside.

Assemble the meringue just before serving: pipe the cream all over the meringue wreath, arrange the pears on top and sprinkle with chopped almonds.

TIP: You can prepare all the elements a day ahead of serving. Store the meringue and the brittle in a dry place, the pears can be left in the wine at room temperature, the whipped cream needs to be stored in the fridge.