Recipe
September 28, 2017
Ottolenghi’s Cinnamon Pavlova, Praline Cream And Fresh Figs
Try this recipe for a Cinnamon Pavlova, Praline Cream and Fresh Figs from chefs Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s cookbook Sweet: Desserts From London’s Ottolenghi.
This is a stunning dessert for a special occasion. It also has a nice element of surprise, as the meringue base is not quite what you might expect: gooey — almost toffee-like — rather than dry and crispy. This is due to the brown sugar in the mix. Combined with the praline cream and fresh figs, it’s absolutely delicious. Pavlova is the dessert to make when you have a bit of time and are feeding people you adore. This recipe calls for sliced almonds, but you can easily substitute chopped pistachios.
Directions
Yield: serves 10–12 (it’s quite rich, so the slices are not too big)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/170°C.
- Spread out all the almonds (for the praline and finishing) on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 7–8 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven, divide into two piles (1/2 cup/50 g for the praline cream, 1/4 cup/20 g for finishing,) and set aside to cool. Alternatively, if using pistachios for the meringue, roast the nuts for the meringue and praline separately.
- To make the meringue, lower the oven temperature to 250°F/120°C. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper and trace a circle, about 9 inches/23 cm in diameter, onto the paper. Turn the paper over so the drawn-on side is facing down but still visible.
- Pour enough water into a medium saucepan so that it rises a quarter of the way up the sides; you want the bowl from your electric mixer to be able to sit over the saucepan without touching the water. Bring the water to a boil. Place the egg whites and both sugars in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk by hand to combine. Lower the heat under the saucepan so that the water is just simmering, then set the mixer bowl over the pan, making sure the water doesn’t touch the base of the bowl. Whisk the egg whites continuously by hand until they are warm, frothy and the sugar is melted, about 4 minutes, then transfer back to the electric mixer with the whisk attachment in place and beat on high speed for about 5 minutes, until the meringue is cool, stiff and glossy. Add the cinnamon and beat to combine.