I am a dessert junkie, I have such a sweet tooth that I get so excited about pudding, I am one of those who will skip starters so I have enough room for afters. Winter for me is all about anything dripping in custard, I love hot desserts, so it is always nice when the sun is shining to make a truly summer pudding and I don’t think you can get more summery than Fruit Pavlova, it is sweet and fresh with the added crunchy-yet-gooey vibe of the meringue that makes it perfection, well in my eyes anyway.
I can make a cake, muffins, pies, crumble, tarts, trifle, brownies and generally most other cake-like desserts, but it seems that making a meringue is going to keep alluding me. So if like me you can’t seem to get your meringue crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside opt for a shop-bought meringue, it isn’t really cheating and it really does then make this a quick dessert to make. If however you want to give meringue ago check out this one on the BBC.
The beauty of a pavlova is that you can really include any fruit you like on the top, I went with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries as we had them in the fridge, but I also love blackberries, pomegranate seeds, mango and blackcurrants, I also one summer experimented with plums out the garden. I find that anything goes, just go with fruits that everyone enjoys.
Fruit Pavlova
Ingredients:
1 x meringue pavlova
Fruit – strawberries, blueberries and raspberries (enough to cover the pavlova)
300ml double cream
300ml Greek-style yoghurt
A few drops of vanilla essence
Instructions:
Wash and prepare all fruit.
Place the meringue on a pretty plate or stand, once finished it will be more difficult to move.
Whip the double cream along with a few drops of vanilla essence until it just holds its shape, I find it easier to use my K-Mix but you can also do by hand.
Fold in the yoghurt.
Pile the cream mixture on top of the pavlova and place the fruit on top, I went for a layered approach – strawberries then blueberries and finishing off with a pile of raspberries.
To serve – dust with icing sugar.
I always find that it is best to serve alongside an extra bowl of fresh fruit so your guests can add on some more to enjoy with the delicious creamy mixture.