Lemon Cherry Meringue Pie

Day one — start with the pastry: rub the cold butter into the flour, salt and sugar until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs with a few larger pieces still visible.

Add 140ml of the ice water and the vodka, mix into a shaggy dough, and add the last 20ml of water only if it needs it.

Tip the dough out and knead briefly to bring it together — it should be hydrated, not sticky, and a few dry patches are fine, they'll even out as it rests. Pat into a disc, cut in half, stack and pat down again, repeat once more, then divide in two, wrap each half and chill for 2 hours. Freeze one half for another pie if you're only making one.

Roll the pastry 5cm wider than your pie dish, ease it in and press into the corners. Trim to 1.5cm overhang, fold the excess under itself to build a thicker border, prick the base and sides with a fork, then crimp the edge. Freeze the crust for 2 hours.

Heat the oven to 200°C. Line the frozen crust with crumpled parchment and fill with pie weights right to the rim. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until lightly golden, then remove the weights and paper and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until fully golden — give it longer if the base still looks pale once uncovered.

Brush the inside with beaten egg and return to the oven for 5 minutes to seal it, then leave to cool completely.

For the compote, put everything except the cornflour into a saucepan and cook on low with the lid ajar for 10 to 20 minutes, until the fruit is completely soft. Mash with a potato masher, mix the cornflour with a little of the warm compote to make a slurry, stir it back in and boil for 1 minute until glossy. Cool, press clingfilm onto the surface, and refrigerate.

For the lemon filling, cook the sugar and lemon juice together over low heat until just simmering, then take it off the heat and whisk in the lemon zest. Leave to infuse for 5 minutes.

Warm the cream until just under the boil, then set aside. Strain the lemon syrup to remove the zest.

Whisk the whole eggs and egg yolks together, then slowly stream in the lemon syrup followed by the warm cream, whisking constantly. Strain the filling into a jug.

Heat the oven to 110°C. Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust up to just under the crimped edge.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until set with just a slight jiggle in the centre. Turn the oven off and leave the door ajar until the pie is completely cool, then cover loosely with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.

Day two — for the meringue, whisk the egg whites and sugar together in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, without letting the bowl touch the water. Heat, whisking often, until the mixture no longer feels gritty between your fingers.

Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, add the vanilla if using, and whip on high speed until just holding stiff, glossy peaks. This works with a hand mixer too, it just takes longer.

Take the pie from the fridge. If the surface looks a little wet, blot it gently with kitchen paper. Spoon over the cherry compote in an even layer, being careful not to press down into the lemon filling.

Spoon over half the meringue and smooth it into an even layer with a palette knife, then pile on the rest and swirl it into peaks.

Torch the meringue until golden in places, then arrange a few cherries on top. Chill for at least 1 hour before slicing.