Yotam Ottolenghi's rolled pavlova with plums and blackberries
Yotam Ottolenghi is famous for making vegetables sexy, and now he's turned his focus to all things sweet - in his first book dedicated to puddings, pastries and cakes.
Yotam tells us how you can have a slice of indulgence in your own home, for a fraction of the price, making rolled pavlova with peaches and blackberries.
Recipe taken from Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh
Serves: 10-12
Ingredients
For the meringue base:
250g egg whites (from 6 large eggs, or you might want to buy egg whites in a carton) at room temperature375g caster sugar2 tsp vanilla extract2 tsp white wine vinegar2 tsp cornflour
For the filling:
400ml double cream1 tsp vanilla extract30g icing sugar, sifted, plus extra to dust5 large, ripe plums, washed but unpeeled, stone removed and cut into 5mm wide segments (600g)300g fresh blackberries60g toasted flaked almonds
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C / 200C Fan / Gas mark 7. Line a 35 x 30cm shallow baking tray with baking parchment so the paper rises 2cm over the sides of the tin.
To make the meringue base, place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment in place, and whisk on medium-high speed for about 1 minute, until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking all the time for at least 5 minutes, until the mixture turns into a thick and glossy meringue. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla extract, vinegar and cornflour. Increase the speed to medium and whisk for a minute until fully combined.
Spoon the meringue mix into the lined tin and use a spatula to spread it out evenly in the tray. Place in the preheated oven and immediately lower the temperature to 200C / 180C Fan / Gas Mark 6 – the contrast in the temperature helps create the crisp outside along with the gooey marshmallow-like inside. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the meringue is pale beige in colour and crusty on top.
Remove from the oven and set aside until completely cool. The meringue will have puffed up in the oven, but will deflate slightly when cooled. If keeping until the next day, the meringue can now be covered with a tea towel and set aside at room temperature.
To make the filling, beat the cream until very soft peaks form – this should take about 1 minute using an electric whisk on a medium-high speed, longer if whisking by hand. Add the vanilla and icing sugar and whisk to incorporate.
Place a clean tea towel flat on top of the meringue (or use the one that is already there if you’ve made this the day before) and quickly but carefully invert it into the work surface, so that the crisp top of the meringue is now facing down and sitting on top of the tea-towel.
Lift the tin off and carefully peel away the baking parchment before spreading the meringue evenly with two-thirds of the whipped cream. Cover generously with 500g sliced plums and 200g blackberries – or you chosen fruit, and sprinkle over 50g almonds.
To roll the meringue, start with the longest side closest to you and, using the tea towel to assist you, roll the meringue up and over, so that the edges come together to form a log. Gently pull away the tea towel as you roll, then slide the meringue onto a long tray or platter, with the seam facing down. Don’t worry if the meringue loses it’s shape a bit or some of the fruit spills out: just hold your nerve and use your hands to pat it back into the shape of the log.
Pipe or spoon the remaining cream down the length of the roulade. Top with the remaining fruit, 10g almonds and a dusting of icing sugar and serve.