Blood Orange Eton Mess

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Make the Meringue Cookies: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar until white and frothy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar in a slow, steady stream, then add the vanilla extract and continue to whip to stiff peaks. The meringue should be smooth and glossy.

3. Transfer the meringue to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. (Use two different sizes or shapes of star tips if you’d like to vary the effects.) Pipe one tray of small (½ inch) cookies and one tray of larger (1 inch) cookies onto the parchment paper, leaving about ½ inch between each cookie. If desired, top some or all of the cookies with sprinkles.

4. Transfer the baking sheets to the oven and immediately lower the temperature to 250°F. Bake until the cookies feel dry to the touch, 40 to 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the meringues sit in the oven for 1 hour.

5. Make the Curd: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sugar, blood orange juice, lemon juice, egg yolks and salt; whisk to combine.

6. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Strain the curd into a medium bowl and cover directly with plastic wrap.

7. Finish: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream, sugar and vanilla bean (or extract) to medium peaks. Refrigerate until ready to use.

8. To assemble, fill six glasses with layers of whipped cream, then meringue cookies, then curd and blood orange segments. Garnish with pearl sugar or sprinkles.

Note: To assemble as a heart, use the curd to create the shape on a serving platter (at least 12 inches wide): Spoon it into the center, then use the back of the spoon to push it into a heart shape. Place the meringues over the curd, leaving space between, then fill the spaces by piping on pearls of whipped cream. Drizzle or spoon dots of curd all over the heart. Fill in the heart shape with the remaining meringues and whipped cream. Arrange the blood orange segments on top and then garnish with pearl sugar or sprinkles.