This has certainly got the wow factor and what’s more the undecorated pavlova can be made the day before, keep it loosely covered with non-stick baking paper or a clean tea cloth and then just decorate minutes before serving.
Serves 8
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 1 1/4 hour
Ingredients
4 medium egg whites
225g (8oz) caster sugar
40g (11/2oz) pistachio nuts, very finely chopped
To finish
100g (4oz) dark chocolate, broken into pieces
300ml (1/2 pint) double cream
550g (11/4lb) mixed strawberries, hulled, halved, blackberries, blueberries and raspberries
Method
- Preheat the oven to 140°C (120°C fan), Gas 1. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper and draw a 23cm (9 inch) circle on to it.
- Whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer until they form stiff moist looking peaks.
- Gradually whisk in the sugar a teaspoonful at a time and continue whisking once all the sugar has been added, whisk for a few more minutes until the meringue is very thick and glossy.
- Gently fold in the pistachio nuts. Spoon the meringue inside the marked circle on the paper lined baking sheet and spread into soft swirls. Bake for about 1 1/4 hours until crisp on the outside and just firm enough that the paper may be peeled away from the underside of the pavlova.
- Leave the pavlova to cool completely, still on the paper, on a wire rack. Loosely wrap in non-stick baking paper until ready to serve.
