Cinnamon spiced pavlova with dried fruit and clementine compote
A festive dessert that can be made in advance and assembled at the last moment. A lighter alternative to the traditional Christmas Pudding but with all the flavours! Recipe by Gillian.
Pre-heat the oven to 150 C / 130 C fan / 300 F and line 2 large baking sheets with baking parchment.
Whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer until stiff peaks form. With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time. When all the sugar is incorporated, stop the machine, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high speed until the meringue is very thick. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl again and then add the cinnamon and white vinegar. Beat again until glossy and the sugar is completely dissolved.
Spoon the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in 6 or 8 even mounds depending on how big you would like your pavlovas to be, leaving at least 2 ins / 5 cm between each one. Using the back of a spoon form a shallow well in the middle of each one.
Transfer to the oven and immediately turn down the oven temperature to 130 C / 110 C fan / 250 F. Bake for 50 minutes and then without opening the oven door, turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool completely for 8 hours or overnight.
Meanwhile make the compote.
Scrub the clementines under hot water to remove any wax. Take one clementine and slice thinly and then cut the slices in half. Put into a pan with the dried fruit and water or black tea and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes, adding a little more water if required.
Zest and juice the 2 remaining clementines.
When the fruit is cooked, take off the heat and stir in the zest, juice and liqueur if using. When cooled store in an airtight container in the fridge.
To serve top each pavlova with yoghurt, compote and the chopped pistachios.
Notes
Feel free to try different combinations of dried fruit according to your preferences.
Try toasted flaked almonds instead of pistachios.
Leftover compote (if you don’t use the optional alcohol) makes a delicious topping on muesli/granola and yoghurt for breakfast or brunch!
