Blog Christmas Pavlova

Christmas Pavlova

In this tasteful dessert, a crisp meringue layer is filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit. It was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who was a star in the 1920s and toured Australia and New Zealand. 'The Pav' is a popular dessert dish and an important part of the national cuisine of both countries.

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 large egg whites
• 350g caster sugar
• 5ml (1 tsp) white wine vinegar
• 5g (1 tsp) cornflour
• 600ml (20fl oz) double cream
• 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla bean paste
• 700g (1½lb) fruit of your choice
• Mint leaves, to decorate
• Icing sugar, for dusting

SERVES:

• 16

COOKS IN:

• Prep: 30 min
• Cooking: 60 min

DIFFICULTY:

• MEDIUM

Method:

- Preheat the oven to 160˚C/fan 140˚C/320˚F/gas 3.

- Line a baking sheet with baking tary and draw a 30cm circle on it. Draw a 15cm circle in the centre of the 30cm circle.

- Place the egg whites in the K-Mojo DigiMaster’s mixing bowl. Attach the dual beater attachment, then whisk until soft peaks form.

- Add the sugar a little at a time while whisking on maximum speed. The mixture should be stiff and glossy.

- In a cup, make a slurry with the cornflour and vinegar, then add to the egg whites.

- Spoon or pipe the meringue onto the ring drawn on the baking parchment.

- Carefully flatten the mixture so that cream and fruit can be placed on top later. Keep in mind that the meringue will expand in all directions in the oven.

- Slide the meringue into the oven and change the temperature immediately to 140˚C/fan 120˚C/280˚F/gas 1.

- Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can leave it overnight to dry out but it needs leaving alone for at least one hour, once it's been turned off.

- Whip the cream and vanilla paste until barely stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.

- Spoon the cream onto the meringue then arrange the fruit on top.

- Finish off with mint leaves and a dusting of icing sugar.

 

TIP: Berries work especially well with Pavlova. You can use a mix like we did, such as strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Tropical fruit such as kiwi and mango also work well.