Raspberry & Plum Pavlova

There’s only one issue with this dessert? You can’t stop going back for more.
The meringue is both crunchy around the edges and mallow-y in the middle. A tangy raspberry compote sits nestled in the middle along with a hidden meringue disc for added crunch. The cream is softly whipped with a few spoonful’s of compote added to delicately flavour it, as well as give it a lovely pastel pink shade. Pavlova sings of spring summer and as a display of all the beautiful fruits that are around the corner.

Ingredients - serves 8
Meringue:
200g egg whites
400g caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour 
1 tsp white vinegar 
Pinch of salt 

Raspberry compote:
200g frozen raspberries
60g caster sugar
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 tsp cornflour

Chantilly Cream:
600g double cream
60g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
Raspberries, plums & pomegranates, to garnish
Icing sugar, to garnish

Method
Preheat the oven to 120°C. Line a baking tray with a silicone baking mat or baking paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. On medium speed, gradually add in the caster sugar and salt. Turn the speed up to medium-high and whisk until the meringue reaches stiff peaks. Add in the cornflour and vinegar and whisk for 1 more minute to combine. Place the meringue into a piping bag, fitted with a large plain nozzle. Pipe the meringue into a 20cm disc. Pipe around the edge in a scallop pattern and then the same scallop piping but inside the previous set. Continue to do this until you reach the middle so that you end up with a flower pattern. Pipe a smaller disc of meringue next to the pavlova which you will use as a layer inside the pavlova later. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the meringue is set. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside until completely cool.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the raspberry compote. Place all of the ingredients into a saucepan, apart from the cornflour, on low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the raspberries have broken down and the compote is hot. Take a little of the compote and whisk in the cornflour before adding it back to the pan. Bring the compote to the boil while whisking. Pour your compote into a container and place a layer of clingfilm on the surface. Refrigerate until cold.

Once your meringue and raspberry compote have cooled, you can make the chantilly cream. Whisk together all of the ingredients until you have very soft peaks. Add in two heaped dessert spoons of raspberry compote and whisk until you have soft peaks. Place the cream into a piping bag fitted with a st.honore nozzle (or any you prefer.)

To assemble the pavlova; carefully peel the meringue off of the baking paper and place onto your chosen serving plate. Using the back of a spoon, tap the middle of the pavlova to concave it to make room for the filling. Place a few spoonful’s of cream into the middle before adding rest of the raspberry compote on top. Lay the small meringue disc on top. Pipe the remaining cream in a pattern around the top edge and fill in the middle. Arrange your fruit on top and dust with icing sugar. Serve.