December 12th,
Are you looking for dessert recipes for the holidays? Perhaps you need a show stopper for the Christmas table or New Years or you want something easy but elegant for when your friends/family come over during the holidays? As Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I would share this easy pavlova recipe that will solve your dessert solution!
This time around I’ve made smaller pavlova that can be served per person but you can just as easily make one large base or even a wreath shape that is quite beautiful for Christmas. The reason why this is your Christmas saviour is because you can make both the curd and pavlova the day before and you are just left with the garnishing on the day of the event. Furthermore, pavlova is very festive and pretty to look at that can be garnished with your seasonal favourites like pomegranate, candied almonds, figs/berries or caramel. You could use rosemary or thyme, sugar mint leaves for a bit of green or then make a clementine/lemon curd that is infused with christmas flavours topped with fresh passionfruit. I love this combination as the curd and fruit gives the marshmallow sweetness some acidic balance. The meringue also has a chocolate swirl for extra delicious flavour and to give it that lovely colour effect. Ps. For a red swirl, blend some fresh strawberries instead of chocolate and fold it into the meringue.
Hopefully this recipe will give you a little seasonal inspiration and release some christmas stress if you are on a tight schedule!
Chocolate Swirl Pavlova ( serves about 8-10) prep time about 60 min
| 4 egg whites (save the yolks for the curd), 2dl sugar, 1 teaspoon corn starch, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon cardamom, 1 teaspoon white vinegar |
Whisk the egg whites with an electrical hand mixer until they form stiff peaks.
Add the vanilla extract, cardamom, sieved corn starch and sugar into a small bowl. A little at a time being in whisk the sugar mixture into the meringue so it looks glossy. lastly, whisk in the vinegar. |
| 100g Dark Chocolate |
Place the chocolate pieces into a heatproof bowl and over a small saucepan that has a bit of water in it. Let it gently simmer until the chocolate melts. Remove from heat and let it cool. Once cooled, gently fold the chocolate into the meringue so it creates brown-coloured swirls into the egg whites. |
| Pre heat oven 125 Celsius degrees
“circulation air mode” (place the pavlova in the middle of the oven) |
Place some parchment paper on a baking tray and spoon meringue into little piles (about 10cm diameter), using the marked circle as a guide. Make sure to leave enough space between they as they expand a bit in the oven.
You can also make one large base or a hollowed circle to represent a wreath. For example you can use a small spatula to form little peaks around the edge of pavlova. Place into oven for 1 1/2 hour |
| Garnish: Clementine curd, Passionfruit, icing sugar |
Ready to serve: Once the meringues have cooled, generously place some curd on top of each one along with the flesh and seeds of a passionfruit. Lastly, sprinkle some icing sugar on top |
Christmas Clementine Curd
| 1dl juice of clementine, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp lemon zest, 1 tbsp clementine zest |
Grate the lemon and clementine. Squeeze the juice of the clementine and lemon and sieve the seeds and pieces of flesh away. |
| 5 egg yolks |
Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl that can be placed over a water-bed. Add in the lemon/clementine juice and zest |
| 3dl sugar, 80g butter, 2 star anise |
Mix the ingredients into the egg yolks and place over a saucepan with water and continually keep on mixing for about 15 minutes. make sure the bowl does not touch the water and let it simmer on a gentle heat The consistency should begin to thicken a little by little. Once the curd begins to thicken, I actually poured it into another saucepan and put it directly on the stove on gentle heat to speed the process. Once the texture is lovely and thick, let it cool. Make sure it does not turn into scramble! |
| Refrigerate curd |
Once the curd as cooked in the saucepan, pur it into a jar with a lid and refrigerate it over night to deepen the flavour. Leave the star anise in the curd for a few hours before removing them. |
2 responses to “Christmas Swirl Pavlova & Clementine Curd”
YUMMY! Thank you for recipe. Please also visit our blog)
Im glad you liked the recipe 😘 I will! xx