Christmas Pavlova

Instructions

Meringue

Preheat the oven to 160C/140CFan/320F. Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment or a silicone baking mat.
If you are using whole eggs, separate the egg whites and yolks, set aside the yolks for another use (mayonnaise, custard, etc) and place the eggs whites in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk the egg whites until they start to become frothy and form soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar one spoon at a time, allowing time in between each spoonful for the sugar to be thoroughly whisked in.
Continue to incorporate all the sugar then add the cornflour & white wine vinegar and whisk until you have stiff peaks and the mixture is shiny.
Place a small bowl, roughly 5"/13cm in diameter, into the centre of the lined baking sheet. Spoon the mixture around the bowl to form a wreath shape.
Use a spoon to gently make a trench in the top of the meringue, this will allow for the cream to be filled in. Then gently remove the bowl.
Now turn the oven down to 140C/120CFan/285F. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven for 1 hour, without opening the door.
After the hour, check the meringues. You will want the meringue to be completely set and feel like it's starting to pull away from the base of the baking sheet. If not fully baked then continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes.
After that time, turn off the oven but allow the meringues to cool completely in the oven. Open the door now and again to let any steam or moisture out. Do not remove until fully cooled as the meringue will crack if cooled too fast.

Sweetened Ginger Cream

Start by grating then chopping the stem ginger. Set aside.
In a clean bowl, whisk the double cream to form stiff peaks, then add the icing sugar, stem ginger and syrup. Completely mix together.
Cover and place in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the pavlova.

Fruit Topping

Prepare the orange segments by peeling the oranges and then cutting into segments between the white pith to form wedges. Then cut in half to form small bite-sized pieces. Set aside until the figs are prepared.
Melt the butter in a non stick skillet over medium low heat, add the sugar and allow to melt into the butter.
Place the figs into the pan skin side up and allow to gently cook until just turning soft and sticky. Add the ground ginger and stir through.
Finish the figs with a splash of Cointreau and remove from the heat. Set aside to cool.

Assembly

Once the meringue is fully cooled you can start to assemble. Place the meringue wreath onto a large plate or cake stand. Gently spoon on the whipped ginger cream, taking care not to press down too hard and break the meringue.
Top the cream with the orange segments.
To finish assembling the pavlova, top with the figs. Drizzle the fig syrup sauce over the top. Serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Notes

Don't waste the egg yolks, they can be used to make homemade mayonnaise, or egg custard.
You can often buy egg whites in cartons in the supermarket, they work perfectly in this recipe and are a great way of not wasting egg yolks.
Only add the sugar to the eggs a spoon at a time, otherwise you risk knocking the air out of the lightly whisked eggs.
To help shape the meringue wreath I like to use a small bowl and spoon the meringue mixture around it, removing it before baking the meringue in the oven. If you prefer you can draw a circle onto baking paper and place the meringue around it.
The meringue wreath in this recipe can be made up to 1 week ahead of time and kept in a cool place in an airtight container until ready to assemble.
If you prefer other fruits, then feel free to substitute or add any others of your choice.

• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •

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Equipment

Ingredients

Meringue

Sweetened Ginger Cream

Fruit Topping

Instructions

Meringue

Sweetened Ginger Cream

Fruit Topping

Assembly

Notes