Blackberry, blueberry, raspberry and mint pavlova
Pavlova, the dessert named after prima ballerina Anna Pavlova has to be in here — a base for so many delicious ripe berries and fruit
SERVES
6
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
10
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
55
MINUTES
Ingredients
4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract or the zest of 1 lemon
For the filling:
300ml cream
400 – 450g mixture of whole and sliced blackberries, raspberries, blueberries mixed with fresh mint
To garnish:
Fresh mint leaves
Method
Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Check that your bowl and whisk are dry and free of grease or any residue of detergent. Using a food-processor, whisk the egg whites until stiff, then add in half the caster sugar, continue to whisk until the mixture is stiff and shiny. Fold in the rest of the caster sugar with the cornflour, vinegar, vanilla extract or lemon zest.
Spread the meringue mixture onto a 23cm (9 inch) round or oval on the silicone paper. Make a well in the centre and push the mixture to the side to form ‘walls’. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven for 1- 1 ¼ hours or until very pale brown, crisp on the outside and dry underneath but soft and marshmallow in the centre.
Remove from the oven, turn the pavlova upside down on a wire rack and peel off the paper. If it’s still a little sticky in the centre, replace in the oven for 5-10 minutes longer. Allow to get quite cold.
To serve, transfer the pavlova carefully onto a serving plate. Whip the cream softly, fill the centre of the pavlova with cream and berries. Garnish with fresh mint.
Note: This quantity makes 6 individual 10cm (4 inch) pavlovas which take 20 minutes to cook.
