Autumnal Pavlova
As simple as it is, pavlova is one of my all-time favourite puddings. It might be because it makes me feel nostalgic for my childhood. My mum makes the best pavlova, and I always got excited when I knew she was making it. It would normally be for a dinner party she was hosting, and that almost always meant there’d be leftovers the next morning. If you haven’t had pavlova for breakfast, then you haven’t lived...
It’s not a pudding I often make in the winter, because I usually love to pile on lots of fresh summer berries. However, I seem to have bypassed the whole summer without a single pav; so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to switch up my traditional toppings for something a bit more comforting as the dark nights draw in.
I managed to get some really fat, juicy blackberries for the topping, which goes so perfectly with a generous drizzle of chocolate ganache sauce. The hazelnuts add a welcome nutty crunch to the soft marshmallow like meringue too - a match made in meringue heaven.
I was inspired by Edd Kimber (The Boy Who Bakes) to try something a little bit fancy with the meringue; using a palette knife to create stripes up the sides. This technique is fun to try, and also helps to create lovely indents for the chocolate to drizzle into - but equally, the tried and tested method is just as effective. You can spoon the meringue into the centre and create texture with the back of spoon - the more rustic, the merrier!
