Angels and Demons Strawberry Love Pie

This is a recipe that came to me through my mother-in-law. The angels refer to the meringue with its crisp crust and gooey centre; the demons are represented by the wickedly alcoholic chocolate sauce laced through it. It's a wonderful representation of human nature; we all wish to be good like angels, but even angels can fall. There is a little wickedness in all of us, no matter how good we think we are, but love is what matters; represented by the strawberry, love conquers all.

Ingredients:
For the Meringue:
6 egg whites
a pinch of salt
500ml caster sugar
10ml vanilla extract
10ml lemon juice

For the strawberry filling:
150g strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced
30ml caster sugar
a pinch of salt

For the Cream Filling:
250ml double cream
2ml vanilla extract
15ml caster sugar

For the Chocolate Sauce:
300g dark chocolate, at least 70-75% cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
150ml double cream
30ml Bramley and Gage Strawberry Liqueur or other strawberry liqueur you may have available

Method:
Preheat the oven to 120C. Grease a 10 inch pie plate.
Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff, but not dry. Very gradually add 250ml of sugar, beating well after each addition. Now add the vanilla and lemon juice and finish beating in the rest of the sugar until all the sugar is dissolved and the meringue is very stiff.
Place the meringue in the pie plate, making it higher in the middle in a dome shape. Bake for 90 minutes in the prepared slow oven, then increase the oven heat to 150C for 30 minutes. The meringue will puff up, then when taken out of the oven it will crack as it cools and the centre will sink. Cool thoroughly.

Meanwhile macerate the strawberries in the sugar and a pinch of salt until required.

When the meringue is completely cooled, whip the cream with vanilla and sugar until the stiff peak stage.

To make the chocolate sauce, place the chocolate, cream and liqueur in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the bowl is not in contact with the water. Stir continuously until all the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy.

To assemble the pie, put a layer of a third of the cream into the meringue shell, then a layer of half the strawberries, drizzle over the chocolate sauce, then repeat the layer - cream, strawberries, chocolate sauce - and finish with the remaining cream.

Serve the pie with any remaining chocolate sauce - over each serving dribble it, pour it, drench it, depending on how wicked you like it!