Pavlova Garland with pears, plums and pomegranate, egg nog cream
Pavlova
4 large egg whites
225g castor sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Line a large baking tray with parchment and set oven to 140oc.
Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and slowly add the sugar in increments, whisking all the time. Whisk the cornflour and vinegar.
Spoon into a piping bag.
Draw a 25 circle on the paper and pipe into the circle. Pipe or spoon 12 swirls on the edge. Bake for about an hour and cool.
Pears in Grenadine
3 unripe pears
50ml Grenadine
Juice 1 lemon
50g sugar
25ml water
Peel the pears. Slice thinly and cut circles out of the middle. Toss the circles in half the lemon juice and the trimmings in another.
Simmer the sugar, grenadine and water until the sugar dissolves and add the pear circles. Cool and macerate for a couple of hours.
Plums in Port
8 plums
100g castor sugar
75ml Port
50ml water
Cut the plums in half and remove the stone.
Simmer the sugar, Port and water to syrup in a pan and add the plums. Gently simmer until the plums are soft.
Cool.
Pear Puree
Pear trimmings
Juice from plums
Simmer until the pears are soft. Blend to a soft puree.
Egg Nog Cream
500ml double cream
2 tablespoons icing sugar
50ml Advocaat
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Whip the cream and fold in the icing sugar , advocaat and nutmeg.
To assemble
Seeds from a pomegranate
Pipe some of the cream into the gaps between the swirls in the pavlova. Press in the pear discs.
Spread the puree in the middle and arrange the plums over the top. Pipe over the remaining cream and scatter over the pomegranate.
Garnish with mint and a dusting of icing sugar.
