Peach bellini and pink praline pavlova

Method

1. For the meringue, heat the oven to 120ºC fan/gas mark 1. Draw a 22cm circle onto some baking paper, then put it on a baking sheet, upside down. In a bowl, rub the lemon zest into 20g of the sugar and whisk in the cornflour. (Save the zested lemon as you’ll need the juice for the other elements). Set aside.
2. Ensure the bowl of your stand mixer is spotless clean, then wipe the inside with a little lemon juice. Add the egg whites and cream of tartar and whisk for 3-4 minutes into medium-soft peaks. Keep whisking the eggs, then add 1 tbsp sugar at a time – very gradually – increasing the speed a little after each spoonful. Take the mixer up to the highest speed it will go for 1-2 minutes until you have very stiff peaks (they don’t flop over when you lift up the beaters). Finally whisk in the lemony sugar mix, giving it a final whisk to combine.
3. Form the meringue into a circle on the baking sheet, using the drawn circle as a guide and ensuring there are no big bubbles. Use a palette knife to flick up around the perimeter if you like for a neater finish. Bake for 3½-4 hours until fully dry inside, then turn off the oven and leave the meringue to cool fully in the oven with the door left open.
Recipe continues after advertising
Advertisement
4. While the meringue bakes, prepare the rest of the elements. For the pink pralines, heat 65g of the sugar in a saucepan with 1 tbsp water to 135ºC, swirling instead of stirring. Remove from the heat, quickly add in the almonds and food colouring, then stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes – as the pink sugar cools, it will coat the almonds. Carefully remove the coated almonds, leaving behind the loose pink sugar, then tip in the remaining sugar and another tbsp water. Repeat the process, bringing the mixture up to 135°C before adding the almonds and stirring again. Empty the almonds into a baking dish and put in the oven below the meringue for 20 minutes. Remove and leave to cool completely.
5. For the peach purée, whizz the tinned peaches until smooth, then tip into a large saucepan. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, sugar and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then cook for 12-14 minutes, whisking continuously until it reduces by roughly half into an intense thick purée. Leave to cool completely.
6. To make the glaze, bring the prosecco and sugar to the boil in a saucepan, then cook for 12-15 minutes until it reduces into a honey-like syrup. Whisk in the lemon juice, then leave to cool. The syrup will thicken quite a bit as it cools so don’t worry if it still seems quite thin.
7. To assemble, whip the double cream until thick, dollop over the cool meringue, then ripple over the cooled peach purée. Top with fresh peach or nectarine slices, or make peach roses by slicing the fruit thinly using a mandoline and twisting into flower shapes. Drizzle over the prosecco glaze and sprinkle over crushed pink pralines to finish.