Place the egg whites into a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, vanilla seeds and cornflour and whisk together until stiff peaks are formed in the mixture when the whisk is removed.
Place the milk into a large saucepan and heat to a gentle simmer.
Add the egg mixture into the warm milk and poach in the simmering milk for three minutes, or until cooked.
For the caramelised figs, place the red wine, sugar and figs into a small pan over a medium heat and cook together for four minutes, or until the figs are heated through and caramelised in the syrup.
To serve, place the poached meringue onto a plate, topped with the caramelised figs.