Very early season plums started popping up in the supermarkets back in May. Usually in season in August, I couldn't wait, they looked so good, so I've been keeping this one back for you, for when they're in season!
I couldn't wait to share this recipe with you! I make meringues pretty regularly as it's one of my husbands favourite desserts.
I also love stewed fruit, I'm almost a little obsessed. Stewing fruits brings out the flavour and makes delicious syrupy juices that go so well with yoghurt, French toast, and this pavlova recipe.
I used an adaptation from BBC Good Food, but left out the cornflour. The reason for this is I wanted a crispy meringue rather than a chewy one. With a large pavlova it is tricky to get the whole thing hard and crisp, as it has a lot of air in it, leaving a hollow pavlova. So for me it's best to leave the cornflour out.
There are times where I absolutely do use cornflour, and that is when I'm making a meringue based roulade, because you need it to be a little softer to make it easier to roll.
In terms of how long to bake it for, you may see different variations in recipes, some calling for 2 hours and some for 6. The key point is, if you want it chewy go ahead with the shorter time, but if you want it crispy you need to leave it on a low heat for hours to essentially dehydrate the meringue mix. This is the reason you may see tips like don't use a fan assisted oven, and try to bake it on a dry day (honestly- I've come across these tips!). Because humidity can spoil the bake. Fear not though, I always use my fan assisted oven and, I baked this on a rainy, humid day so although not perfect, the pavlova was absolutely fine.
There is also debate over the golden bubbly streaks you can get through the meringue, with some saying it detracts from the look and others, like Raymond Blanc saying it makes for a perfect meringue. I usually have a few streaks in my baked meringue and take pride in them, after all if it's good enough for Raymon Blanc, it's good enough for me. It also gives the look of authenticity too, as shop bought meringues are always so white and perfect.
I use golden caster sugar in my meringues as it's my go-to all purpose sugar that I keep in the house. So my meringues always have a nice golden hue to them.
One final note is that I slightly over-whipped the cream in the photo below, as you may notice a slightly grainy texture. It still tasted delicious but just a heads up if you're using fresh cream to make sure you don't over whisk, if you feel you're almost there wait a few seconds before whisking again as it can change very quickly. For anyone who wants a safety net for this, I regularly use Elmea double cream subsitute as it's far more forgiving (you would have to try very hard to split it!) and also keeps longer once made.
Salted Roast Plum Pavlova Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 punnet of plums usually 6-8 plums
- 1 pinch good quality sea salt.
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 225 g golden caster sugar
- 4 large egg whites
- 1 slice of lemon
- 300 ml of double or whipping cream or 1 284ml carton of double elmlea
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or essence
- 1 tablespoon of icing sugar.
Instructions
- For the plums, de-stone and quarter (I find running a knife across the middle, and then twisting each half is the easiest way to de-stone)
- Place in an oven proof dish, with the olive oil and salt and bake on 150C for 20 minutes
- Set aside until later for the pavlova.
- For the pavlova take a large mixing bowl and run the slice of lemon around the sides, this makes sure all grease is removed as it will prevent the meringue from forming.
- Add the egg whites and whisk with an electric mixer for a few minutes until thick, and when it starts to stiffen.
- Gradually add the sugar bit by bit, whisking in between until the pavlova mixture is glossy and holds is shape.
- Place onto a baking sheet lined with grease-proof paper, and sculpt with a spatlua into a neat round.
- Place in the oven at 125C for 2 hours, then turn the oven off and leave in the oven for a further 2 hours.
- In another mixing bowl add the cream, vanilla and icing sugar and whisk for a few minutes until thick enough to hold it's shape, but not too hard.
- Once all components are complete you can assemble by spreading the cream onto the pavlova and then the fruit on top of that.
For more plum recipes, check these out:
Plum, Rocket and Feta Salad (Fresh Home Cook)
Plum, Apple & Almond Tarte Tatin (Foodie Quine)
Sweetly Spiced Plum Crumble Tart (Franglais Kitchen)
Maple Cinnamon Glazed Plum & Blackberry Sticky Buns (Kavey Eats)
Rustic plum cornmeal cake (Lancashire Food)
Easy Roasted Plums with Star Anise (Supper in the Suburbs)
Spiced pears and plums in port (Fuss Free Flavours)
Worcestershire Plum Cake (Jo's Kitchen)
