This delicious Fruity Festive Pavlova is flavoured with toasted hazelnuts and has the texture and flavour of Italian nougat. It’s topped with orange-infused mascarpone and decorated with roasted seasonal fruits and pomegranate seeds. The perfect festive dessert.

INGREDIEENTS

50g chopped blanched hazelnuts

4 egg whites

280g caster sugar

1tsp cream of tartar

3 figs

1/3 punnet red grapes

2 clementines, cut into wedges

2 cinnamon sticks

3 star anise

2tbsp light brown sugar

250g mascarpone

1tbsp icing sugar

1tsp vanilla essence or paste

Grated zest 1 clementine

100g pomegranate seeds

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Place the hazelnuts in a roasting tin and toast for 10 minutes until golden. Roughly chop.

Place the egg whites in a large clean bowl and start to whisk until frothy. Slowly, whisking all the time, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time until you end up with a thick, glossy meringue. Fold in the cream of tartar and the chopped hazelnuts.

Line a baking tray with parchment paper and draw a circle measuring about 21cm and then a smaller circle in the middle measuring 6cm to create a wreath shape. Spoon the meringue onto the wreath circle, piling it up to create peaks. Bake for 1 hour in the oven and then turn of the heat and allow to cool completely in the oven.

When ready to decorate remove the meringue wreath from the oven and turn the heat back up to 180C/fan/160C/gas 4. Arrange the fruit in a roasting tin with the cinnamon and star anise and brown sugar and roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the mascarpone with the icing sugar and clementine zest and spoon over the meringue wreath. Top with the roasted fruits and finish with a generous sprinkling of pomegranate seeds.

Recipe by Poppin Poms