Strawberry and Vanilla Pavlova          

You will need:

For the Meringue

3 large egg whites

180g caster sugar

1 teaspoon of Taylor & Colledge pure vanilla extract

Pavlova Filling

250g mascarpone

200g fromage frais

1 teaspoon of Taylor & Colledge Pure vanilla extract

1 dessertspoon caster sugar

Strawberry topping

400g British strawberries

1 dessertspoon of caster sugar

Taylor & Colledge Vanilla Icing Sugar to dust

Sprigs of mint (optional)

Preparation

Meringue Base

  1. Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and whisk until they form stiff peaks, making sure you do not over whisk.  Gradually add the caster sugar to the stiff egg whites folding in with a spatula until it is mixed in well.  Then add Taylor & Colledge’s pure vanilla extract.
  2. Take a third of the mixture and spread it onto the prepared baking sheet to form a circle approximately 20 cm in diameter.  Then spoon blobs of the mixture around the rim of the base layer to form a circle all around the edge and use a skewer to make swirls to decorate the tops of the blobs of meringue
  3. Put the meringue into an oven preheated to 150° then turn down the heat to 140° and leave the meringue to cook for an hour.
  4. Then turn the oven off while leaving the Pavlova in the oven to cool down completely.

Topping and Decoration

  1. It’s best to prepare the topping shortly before serving.  Firstly whisk the mascarpone, Taylor & Colledge pure vanilla extract, fromage frais and caster sugar together.    
  2. Next prepare the purée.  Take approximately a third of the strawberries, blend them together then add a dessert spoonful of sugar and pass the mixture through a sieve.
  1. Finally remove the pavlova from the baking sheet and place on a serving plate, smooth over the vanilla cream mixture, arrange the strawberries on top, dust the strawberries with Taylor & Colledge vanilla icing sugar then pour over the strawberry purée before serving.  For that extra special touch add a few sprigs of fresh mint on top for decoration.