Pavlova, this dessert made with meringue and seasonal fruit is the star of your Christmas. It owes its name to a famous prima ballerina...
Serves 6 to 8, preparation 20 min • Cooking 1h20
This dessert is perfect for the holiday season: all its components can easily be prepared the day before and assembled at the last minute so you don't have to spend your evening in the kitchen!
For the meringue:
- 4 egg whites
- 200g caster sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla flavoring
For the whipped cream:
- 500g liquid full-fat cream
- 1 heaped tbsp icing sugar
For the poached pears:
- 4–6 small, firm pears (Conference, for example)
- 25g hibiscus flowers
- 1 small handful of dried roses
- 250g sugar
- 1 litre water
- 1–2 star anise and 2–3 cardamom pods
- For the poached pears, bring the water to a boil with the sugar, flowers and spices. Poach the previously peeled pears, keeping the stem on, for 20 minutes. Turn them regularly and leave them to cool in their syrup for at least one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 120–130°C.
- Whisk the egg whites for the meringue until stiff peaks form: when they are firm, add the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Then add the cornflour, white wine vinegar and vanilla flavoring.
- Spread the meringue in a circle on baking paper, making a slight hollow in the middle, and bake for one hour. Turn off the oven and leave the meringue to cool inside. It should be crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Whip 500g of liquid cream into lightly sweetened whipped cream with one heaped tablespoon of icing sugar.
- When serving, spread the whipped cream over the meringue, then add the pears and a few hibiscus flowers from the syrup. Decorate with roses, sugar canes, and serve with a glass of Côtes de Bergerac !
This dessert will be a real showstopper for the holiday season!
