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Photograph by: Sam Wilkinson
Stacked Pavlova
with black cherry and dark chocolate
Recipe by: Alice Toich as seen on afternoonexpress.co.za
Serves: 6
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40min
Meringue discs:
- 4 egg whites
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 250g caster sugar
- A few drops of orange blossom water
- 80g of dark chocolate melted
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Place 4 egg whites in a large clean dry bowl.
Leave the eggs to come to room temperature.
Melt the dark chocolate in a double boiler and allow to cool while you make the meringue.
Start whisking the egg whites with a balloon whisk, when just frothy add 1/4 tsp cream of tartar.
Continue to beat until soft peaks form in the egg whites.
Gradually add 250g of caster sugar while whipping, one tablespoon at a time. Mix well after each addition until the meringue is thick and glossy.
Rub a small amount of meringue between your fingers, you should not feel any granules of sugar- if you do, continue to beat the meringue.
Fold in a few drops of orange blossom water.
Fill a piping bag fitted with a round-tip or star nozzle with the meringue and pipe small round discs of meringue onto the parchment, create a piped border on top so that then meringues will hold the filling. If you do not have a piping bag you can dollop spoonfuls of the meringue onto the parchment and "hollow out" a center with the back of a spoon. Drizzle the dark chocolate over the meringue and either work slightly into the meringue to create a marble effect or leave it as is.
Bake for 30-35 mins and then turn the oven off- leaving the meringue inside to cool completely. Keep a keen eye on the meringue while cooking so that they do not burn, your oven may be slighting hot or cool.
Once meringues are cooked carefully lift them off the parchment.
Mulled black cherries:
- 1 tin pitted black cherries
- 2-3 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- rind and juice of half orange
- 2 shots of Kirschwasser
-cinnamon quill (optional)
Caramelize 2-3 tablespoons sugar( according to taste) in a pan. Add about 2 tablespoons of butter to the caramelized sugar and the rind of half a lemon or orange (whichever you prefer) also squeeze a bit of the juice in. Add the cherries including the juice and cinnamon quill then heat up. Add 1-2 shots Kirschwasser if you don't have you can use a good quality brandy cognac. Allow to keep warm not the stove while you whip the cream.
Cinnamon spiced chantilly cream:
- 250ml cream
- 2 tbsp icing sugar ( sifted )
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1-2 shakes of mixed spice
- Sprinkling of vanilla powder
While the cream is cold straight from the fridge, place it into a big bowl and whip it quickly with either a handheld whisk or stand mixer fitted with balloon whisk. Before it becomes too stiff, add in the icing sugar and spices. You may have to stop after the addition and taste the cream deciding if you would like to add more spice. When the cream stiffens but is still lusciously soft, stop whipping. You do not want to over whip the cream and loose the lush texture.
Assembly:
- flaked almonds ( toasted briefly In a dry pan)
Place a disc of meringue on the serving plate. Spoon some cinnamon chantilly cream on top of the disc, then spoon over the black cherries and drizzle a little sauce from the pan. Place another disc of meringue on top and repeat the process.
Sprinkle toasted flaked almonds on top ( omit for nut allergies) as well as any extra melted dark chocolate if you desire.
You can decorate the pavlovas on top with a single fresh cherry, some edible gold leaf or a single star anise.
Dig in and enjoy while warm!
For more delicious Afternoon Express recipes visit: afternoonexpress.co.za
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