Winter Pavlova

 

Serves - 6

Time required - 1 hour 50 mins (30 mins prep, 1 hour 20 mins bake)

Ingredients 

- 7 medium-sized eggs (whites only!)

- 270g golden caster sugar

- 2.5 teaspoons vanilla extract

- 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

- 2 teaspoons corn flour 

- 350ml double cream, whipped to form stiff peaks

- 8 tablespoons lemon curd

- 250g raspberries

- seeds of x1 large pomegranate

- 3 figs, slices into fours

Method

1. Heat your oven to 120 degrees. Line two baking sheets or trays with brown parchment paper and draw a circle on each one that must be 20cm by 20cm. 

2. Put your egg whites in a bowl (make sure it's spotlessly clean!) and with an electric whisk, get the whites whisked together until stiff peaks form, this should take about 3 minutes. To know when they are ready, tip your bowl upside down - if the egg whites hold and don't fall out, they're ready for part 3.

3. Combine the sugar in three stages,  and then the vanilla, vinegar and corn flour until smooth and still holding its stiff peaks. 

4. Divide the mixture between the two trays and present them as creatively as you like! When happy, bake for 1 hour 20 minutes. When done, leave them to cool down in the oven with the oven door open a little to allow the meringues to climatize to the temperature change - too harsh a transition and they could sink. 

5. When cool and with a great degree of care, remove your first meringue from the paper and put it on the base of your serving plate or stand, and be careful not to damage it as the meringue can be quite flaky. Drizzle over half the cream, lemon curd, raspberries, pomegranate seeds and figs.

6. Carefully remove the second meringue from the baking paper and place on top. Add the final half of your cream, lemon curd, and fruits, decorating in any way shape or form you see fit. 

Happy Holidays! 

J xx