By Marie Muccio
You cannot go wrong with pavlova at Christmas time in Australia. Berries are in season and bursting with flavour and the tang of the berries with the sweetness of the cream are a match made in heaven. I seriously cannot think of a better way to end a Christmas day. That crisp outer shell and the soft, chewy, gooey marshmallow centre.
With Christmas upon us you will be sure to impress friends with this colourful Christmas Pavlova log. All the usual suspects make an appearance of course, meringue topped with fresh cream and fruit, but we also add a drizzle of dark chocolate and then top with fresh berries. The chocolate actually helps hold your fruit in place as it sets so it is delicious and effective.
If you have never tasted homemade meringue then you are in for a treat my friend. I know many people use store bought meringue because they believe making their own is too daunting. I assure you that in this case it is easier to make than it looks. Just make sure you have a stand mixer because beating with a stick mixer is going to take a very long time to get those egg whites to stiff peaks. Nothing beats the taste of homemade, and it is well worth the effort. You can thank me later.
The secret to the perfect meringue is the oven temperature. The meringue requires a short period of high heat for the outside to set and then a longer period of low heat to just set but not overcook that wonderful marshmallow centre. You will know the pavlova is ready when the outside is dry to touch.
If little droplets of syrup have formed on top of the meringue, then it is overcooked. On the other hand, if liquid is seeping out of the meringue it means it is undercooked. The best part is the ingredients for the meringue are simple and you may have most of these in your pantry staples already.
Did you know pavlova tastes even better the next day because the fruit has had time to macerate into the cream.
Pavlova can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container or covered as tightly as possible with cling wrap for 1-2 days.
Enjoy!
Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
- 8 egg whites at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- 500g castor sugar
- 4 tsp cornflour
- 2 tsp white-wine vinegar
- few drops of pure vanilla
- 2 cups cream whipped
- 400g dark chocolate, melted
- Fresh seasonal fruit for≈decoration
- 1/2 cup pistachios finely chopped
- mint leaves for garnish
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper
- Beat egg whites and salt until satiny peaks form. Beat in sugar, a third at a time, until meringue is stiff and shiny.
- Sprinkle cornflour, vinegar and vanilla over the mix and fold in lightly. Mound onto an oven tray and shape into a log. Flatten the top and smooth the sides with a spatula.
- Place in oven, immediately reduce heat to 150°C and cook for 30 minutes. Reduce further to 120°C and cook for 45 minutes.
- Turn off oven but leave the pavlova in the oven to cool completely.
- Once cool, invert pavlova onto a platter or large board, pile on cream and drizzle over the melted chocolate
- Working quickly before the chocolate sets, arrange the fresh fruit over the top and then sprinkle over the pistachio and scatter the mint on top.
