A Treat for Christmas
Whip up some special Christmas pavlovas, with Rick Stein’s recipe and your little one’s help.
BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE
Popping open the advent calendar this December will whet your child’s appetite for festive food, but as a family, you’ll need more than one choc a day to get your Christmas fill!
So, have a look at Rick Stein’s Christmas.
This 320-page Chrissy cookbook contains loads of easy but impressive, and always delish, recipes from one of the world’s greatest chefs.
Rick serves up special treats for grown-ups, like Mini Brioche Toasts with Whipped Feta, Fresh Figs & Pickled Walnuts.
Plus, lots of dishes with full family appeal (hello Glazed Ham!).
And because Christmas is all about the sugar, spice and everything nice, Rick leaves plenty of room for dessert.
Which bring us to his Hazelnut Pavlovas with White Chocolate & Dark Berry Sauce!
These are fun to make and eat with your little one, and although they look posh, they’re not too pricey to put together.
So, have a go, and here’s to a very delicious Christmas!
Rick Stein’s recipe for Hazelnut Pavlovas with White Chocolate & Dark Berry Sauce
Serves 8
Ingredients
Meringues
4 medium egg whites
220g caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
½ tsp white wine vinegar
Berry sauce
500g frozen Black Forest berry mix, defrosted
2–3 tbsp icing sugar
To serve
75g blanched hazelnuts
150g white chocolate
500ml double cream
Fresh raspberries or blueberries
Method
Preheat the oven to 120°C/Fan 100°C. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
In a clean, grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Gradually whisk in the caster sugar, cornflour and vinegar and continue to whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy and the beaters leave a thick ribbon trail in the mixture.
Spoon the meringue mixture on to the sheets to form 8 round nests about 10cm in diameter. Place in the oven and cook for about 1 ½ hours or until the meringues are crisp and dried out. Leave them in the switched-off oven to cool completely.
For the berry sauce, blitz the fruit and sugar in a food processor, then pass it through a sieve. Store in the fridge until ready to use. It will be fine for up to 2 days if you want to prepare ahead.
Add the nuts to a hot dry pan and toast for a minute or so until they’ve taken on a little colour. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn. Chop the nuts and set them aside in a bowl. Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
When the meringues are completely cool, dip each one into the melted white chocolate and then into the bowl of chopped nuts. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.
Whip the cream until it holds its shape. Spoon a tablespoon of berry sauce on to each plate and top with a teaspoon of the cream, then place a meringue, nut side up, on top. Spoon some cream on to each meringue and use a clean measuring spoon to scoop a hollow in each dollop of cream. (Dip the spoon in water between each plate to get a clean scoop.) Spoon a little berry sauce into the hollow and top with a fresh berry and a few more nuts. Serve immediately.
Yum.
This is an extract from Rick Stein’s Christmas, available now (Penguin Random House, RRP $60).
