Hazelnut and raspberry pavlova
Actress and keen cook Fay Ripley is joining us in the kitchen to celebrate Mother's Day.
She's got an amazing dessert that you can spoil your mum with this weekend - a hazelnut and raspberry pavlova!
Serves 8–10Prep time.: 15 minsCooking time: One hour (Pavlova only)
Ingredients
5 large egg whites280g caster sugar1 level tsp cornflour1 tsp white vinegar200g roasted chopped hazelnuts (buy the ready-to-go packs)500ml whipping cream400g raspberries100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
Method1. Preheat the oven to 130°C (fan), 150°C, or gas mark 2 and line
2 baking sheets with baking paper. With an electric whisk, whizz the egg whites until stiff, then whisk in the sugar, a dessertspoon at a time, until very thick and glossy.
Mix the cornflour and vinegar in a cup and whisk into the egg whites. Add most of the nuts, reserving a couple of tablespoons to decorate, and fold them in by hand (don’t whisk at this point).
Divide the mixture between the 2 trays, gently spreading it into the shape you fancy (think about the plate it will sit on), keep the 2 shapes 2.5cm or so deep.
Pop the meringues into the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off but leave them in there until completely cold or overnight – DON’T PEEK!
Before serving, whip the cream to soft peaks and then add half the raspberries. Carry on whipping and the cream will turn a gentle pink. Melt the chocolate in a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
To serve
Use half the pink cream to sandwich the meringues together, using the rest on top. Scatter over the remaining raspberries, drizzle with the melted chocolate and finally scatter the remaining chopped nuts over your masterpiece. Take a bow!
De-stress
You can use defrosted frozen raspberries for the cream.
Fay Makes It Easy is out now and is published by HarperCollins, £20
Get more recipes from the Lorraine chefs