TV Chef and proprietor of The Foxhunter in Nantyderry, Matt Tebbutt, has very generously provided us with this new recipe for Poached Cherry Pavlova to help us make the most of our cherry fruit feature this June.
It’s a pretty luxurious recipe, and it’s probably one for a dinner party rather than dessert on a worknight, if you know what I mean, but we include so few of those, and this one was too drool-worthy to pass up : )
You can find the recipe and loads of others in Matt’s new book "Matt Tebbutt Cooks Country", and we’ve included it in our database courtesy of Mitchell Beazley and Octopus Books. Thanks folks!
Poached Cherry Pavlova, Vanilla Cream and Toasted Pistachios
Matt Says:
I love the combination of sweet and sour in this pudding, and the sprinkling of pistachios adds an unexpected sweet crunchiness at the end of each mouthful.
When Can I Eat This?
Cherries are in season in the UK in late June and through July and August.
Serves:
4-6
Ingredients:
50g shelled pistachio nuts
2 tbsp icing sugar
300ml double cream
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways
Cherries in stock syrup
200ml water
125g caster sugar
Pared zest of half orange
1 cinnamon stick, halved
400g fresh cherries
1 splash of Kirsch
Pavlova
4 medium egg whites
225g caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour
Half tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white wine vinegar
75g dried sour cherries, roughly chopped
Method:
Preheat the oven to 130ºC / 260ºF / Gas Mark 1⁄2.
For the cherry stock syrup
Put all the ingredients except for the cherries and Kirsch in a non-reactive pan, and cook until the sugar has just dissolved. Remove stones and stalks from two-thirds of the cherries, then poach all the cherries in the sugar syrup until just tender, about 10 minutes or so. Add a big splash of Kirsch to this, if liked.
Toast the pistachio nuts with the icing sugar in a non-stick pan, then tip out on to a piece of non-stick baking paper and leave to cool before roughly chopping. Reserve.
Remove the cherries from the stove and allow to cool in the liquid. While they are cooling, take a ladle of the poaching liquid and reduce to a semi-sticky syrup consistency. This will decorate the dish when serving and add depth of flavour.
To make the pavlova in a mixer
Whisk up the egg whites and sugar to stiff peaks and until the sugar dissolves. This will take anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes, or until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Throw in a mix of the cornflour, vanilla and white wine vinegar, and fold together with the dried sour cherries.
Dollop or pipe the pavlova mixture on to non-stick baking sheets in individual portion sizes – they will expand, so about 1tbsp size per person.
Cook in the preheated very low oven for 1–11⁄2 hours, or until they lift off the non-stick sheet cleanly.
Finishing off
While the pavlova is cooking, whip the double cream with the scraped seeds of the vanilla pod and a splash of the Kirsch. Whip up to semi-stiff peaks – just until it holds its own weight. Set aside.
To serve
Spoon a generous amount of the vanilla cream onto each pavlova and drizzle over the stoned poached cherries and the reduced sauce.
Scatter over some toasted pistachio nuts and decorate with cherries with stalks still on.
Categories: recipes, seasonal eating, vegetarian
