Come Christmas in Australia, beautifully decorated tables feel incomplete without a colourful and sumptuous pavlova taking pride of place. This recipe creates the ultimate pavlova that you’ll be returning to each year as the weather warms. Created by Head Chef Dan Cooper from Chiswick restaurant in Sydney’s Woollahra, it’s a fresh take on an Aussie Christmas classic. As Dan says, “The festive season is a time to bring everyone together around a table and this is a spread that embodies both warmth and celebration.”
Ingredients
Method
For the fruit:
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Cut peaches or stone fruits you are using in half, carefully removing the stone. (If the stone is hard to remove, leave it in for roasting, it is much easier to take out once the peaches are cooked.)
Roast peaches in the preheated oven until soft but not mushy. If you have left the stone in for roasting, remove this now.
Remove the green tips from the strawberries and cut them in half.
Cut the raspberries in half.
Set aside fruit for later assembly.
For the cream:
Cut vanilla pods in half and scrape the seeds out. In a bowl, add the seeds to thickened cream.
Whisk cream and vanilla until soft peaks are formed.
Set aside in the fridge for assembly.
For the pavlova:
Preheat oven to 140°C.
Line oven trays with baking paper.
Using a stand mixer or electric whisk, whisk egg whites until fluffy (speed 2 works well).
Gradually add sugar to eggs in slow increments, allowing each addition of sugar to dissolve before adding the next. Once the sugar is added and the eggs are fluffy, slowly add corn flour and whisk in gently. Finally, add the white vinegar and gently combine. When fully incorporated, remove from the mixer and give the mixture a final quick fold with spatula.
Fill a piping bag with meringue and pipe onto the lined oven trays in large circles (you will need two dinner plate-sized meringue circles).
Bake in the oven for approximately 60 minutes. Meringue should be set, and a light cream without too much browning.
Turn the oven off and leave the door slightly ajar. Allow the meringues to cool in the oven for 30 minutes.
Remove the meringues from the oven and let them rest on the bench until use.
To assemble the pavlova:
Place one meringue disc in the centre of a large plate.
Spoon half the cream mix onto the disc and spread out evenly.
Arrange a third of the fruits over the cream.
Place the second disc on top. Spread the remaining cream over the meringue disc. Spread with peach puree.
Arrange fruits over the cream and peach puree and garnish with fresh mint leaves to serve.
“Vietti Moscato d’Asti, Braida Brachetto d’Acqui, Renardat-Fache Bugey-Cerdon, or Henschke Noble Semillon if you’d prefer without bubbles. Not too sweet, but lots of fun. Brachetto or Bugey-Cerdon especially if you’re adding on lots of different kinds of berries!”
The perfect pavlova wine pairing from Chiswick’s Head Sommelier Georgie Davidson-Brown:
