Christmas is almost here! This year has flown by so fast. It’s been incredibly rough but we still appreciate the few good things in our lives. This month, we’re making the pavlova, the perfect celebratory dessert for Christmas and the holiday season. This meringue-based dessert is decadent, delicious and you’ll have fun making it. Find all the ingredients you need on Greenspoon.
Ingredients:
- Pavlova
- 150ml egg whites (about 4 eggs)
- 220g caster sugar
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 250ml whipping cream
- Eggnog Custard (recipe online)
- Candied Whiskey Pecans (Find the recipe online)
- Fruit – blueberries, raspberries, passion fruit and lemon zest.
Photography by Bill Muganda (IG: Kenyan_library)
For the Eggnog custard:
Ingredients:
- 375ml Single Cream
- 2 Sticks Cinnamon
- 1 Vanilla Bean, Split And Seeds Scraped
- ¼ Teaspoon Nutmeg
- 2 Tablespoons Dark Rum
- 4 Egg Yolks
- 55g Caster Sugar
Place the cream, cinnamon, vanilla, nutmeg and rum in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until just boiling. Remove from the heat.
Place the yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk well, slowly pour the cream mixture into the egg mixture. Return to the saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, for 6–8 minutes or until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the cinnamon and vanilla bean and allow to cool completely.
Photography by Bill Muganda (IG: Kenyan_library)
For the candied pecans:
Ingredients:
- 120g pecans, toasted
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp light brown sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 60 ml whiskey
Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Place a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the pecans, both sugars, vanilla and whiskey and cook, stirring occasionally in the last 1 minute, for 6–7 minutes or until golden and caramelised. Working quickly, carefully pour the mixture onto the tray. Spread and allow to cool completely. Roughly chop and set aside.
Putting together the Pavlova
Directions:
- For the pavlova, preheat the oven to 150°C. Warm the sugar in the oven for about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg whites on high speed until stiff peaks form. Add the caster sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking for 30 seconds each time before adding more. Whisk for a further 6 minutes until stiff and glossy. Scrape down sides of bowl, add vinegar and whisk for 2 minutes or until glossy and combined.
- Draw a 26cm circle on a sheet of non-stick baking paper. Place on a large baking tray. Spoon the meringue onto the centre of the circle leaving a 5cm border. Arrange heaped spoonfuls of the remaining meringue to create a ring. Reduce the oven temperature to 120°C, and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until crisp. Turn the oven off and allow the meringue to cool in the oven with the door closed until you need it.
- Once it’s completely cool, whip the cream. Then layer on the top of the meringue, adding on some eggnog custard and making a delightful mound of berries, and finally topping with candied pecans.
Wine Pairing
Enjoy your pavlova with a Trumpeter Sparkling Rose de Malbec. This sparkling rose is a distinctive and intense wine with delicate aromas of cherries and strawberries combined with subtle toasty notes and delicious sweet tannins. This wine is available on Greenspoon and Dion Wines and Spirits.
