Brown sugar pavlova with roasted peaches

Serves:

Brown sugar lends a caramel note to this otherwise classic pavlova, and the lightly roasted peaches are the perfect choice to make the most of New Zealand’s stone fruit at Christmas time!

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 thickened cream

Peaches

• 4 peaches
• 2 tsp butter
• 1 tbs brown sugar

Brown sugar pavlova with roasted peaches

To make the pavlova, preheat the oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced), and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

Place the egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer, and begin whisking them on a medium speed until stiff peaks form. Stir together the brown and caster sugars and then add them, with the mixer running on high, a spoonful at a time, waiting at least 20 seconds between each spoonful.

Once all the sugar is in, the mixture should be stiff and glossy. Rub a small amount of mixture between your fingers, and there should be no grains of sugar. (If there are, continue whisking until the sugar is dissolved.) Then fold the apple cider vinegar through the mixture.

Dollop the mixture on the lined baking sheet, and use a spatula to form an approximate 22cm circle. Turn the oven down to 120°C (100°C fan-forced) and bake the pavlova for one hour. Leave it to cool in the oven completely.

To make the peaches, wash them and cut them in half, removing the stone. Place in a shallow baking dish, cut side up, and dot with the butter and brown sugar. Bake them at 180°C (160°C fan-forced) for 10-15 minutes, or until just beginning to wilt. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

To assemble the pavlova, whip the cream to soft peaks and spread over the base. Top with the peaches, and any of their juice, and then serve.

Find related sweet Christmas recipes

• Cheerios Christmas trees
• Christmas angel ice creams
• Christmas candy cane cookies
• Christmas cookies
• Christmas jelly slice
• Christmas pastry wreaths
• Christmas pudding pops
• Christmas trifle
• Christmas Yule log
• Sneaky mini Christmas puddings

Serving Suggestions

Note

• Brown sugar adds a beautiful caramel note to this meringue.
• The pavlova base can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in an air tight container.
• Feel free to replace the peaches with any other stone fruit, or a more traditional fresh fruit topping.