This is the best pavlova I have ever tasted. Crisp meringue with a perfectly soft mallow centre, with a tangy labneh cream, topped off with beautiful Wexford strawberries that have been macerated in sugar, pomegranate molasses and sumac, finished with a scatter of pomegranate seeds and some fresh mint.
The balance of flavour in this dessert is phenomenal. Pavlova can be a little on the sweet side, so I for this recipe I have combined homemade labneh with whipped cream and macerated the strawberries in sumac and pomegranate molasses to balance the sweetness.
Labneh is a soft Middle Eastern cheese that is made by straining thick yoghurt. It is tangy, creamy, and delicious. It is easy to make at home, all you need is creamy Greek yoghurt and some cheesecloth.
Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice, made from dried berries, it has a lovely citrus, earthy, slightly salty flavour. I have used it in this recipe along with some pomegranate molasses and caster sugar to macerate the fruit. This process softens the fruit and intensifies the flavour of the strawberries, infusing them with the sumac and pomegranate molasses.
You will find sumac in Tesco. Pomegranate molasses may be a little trickier to source locally, but any good Asian supermarket will stock it. If you cannot get hold of any, you can use two teaspoons of good balsamic vinegar in its place.
This recipe serves four to six people.
Prep time: 30 mins, plus three to four hours to strain the yoghurt.
Cooking time: 2 hours, plus 60-90 mins cooling.
Strawberry, Sumac and Pomegranate Pavlova
recipe by:Colm O’Gorman
Sumac is a Middle Eastern spice, made from dried berries, it has a lovely citrus, earthy, slightly salty flavour.
Preparation Time
4 hours 30 mins
Cooking Time
2 hours 30 mins
Total Time
7 hours 0 mins
Ingredients
Labneh Cream
500g Greek Yoghurt
250ml cream
2tsp caster sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
Meringue
3 eggs
150g caster sugar
1tsp white vinegar
1 tsp cornflour
Fruit Topping
500g strawberries
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp sumac
A handful pomegranate seeds
A few sprigs of fresh mint
Method
Make the labneh. Place some cheese cloth in a sieve and scoop in 500g of thick Greek yoghurt. Tie off the ends of the cloth so that the yoghurt is contained in a ball shape and sit the sieve into a bowl. If you cannot get hold of cheesecloth, use an unused pop sock. I find this easier than using cheesecloth, so I do so whenever I make labneh or other homemade cheeses such as paneer. Just stretch the pop sock over the mouth of a measuring jug or bowl and spoon in the yoghurt. Lift out the sock and gently move all the yoghurt to the bottom. Pop that into a sieve and rest it on top of the jug or bowl and leave it to strain for three to four hours until it has the consistency of a loose cream cheese.
While the labneh is straining, prepare and bake the meringue.
Heat your oven to 120 Celsius. Carefully separate the eggs. Whisk the egg whites in your mixer at a medium speed until they are stiff with nice peaks. With your mixer still running at the same speed, gradually add the sugar a tablespoon at a time until you have a glossy, stiff mixture. You can test the mixture by rubbing a little between your fingers. If it is smooth, with no grains of sugar still intact, it is ready. Next, add the cornflour and vinegar and whisk for a minute to combine both well.
Use a pen to mark out a 22cm circle on the underside of some baking paper. The easiest way to do this is to use a plate or the base of a 22cm cake tin as a template and simply mark around the circumference. Place the paper on a baking tray, marked side down.
Spoon the meringue mixture in the centre of the marked disc and use a pallet knife or a spatula to spread it out and to then smooth the sides. Form a raised lip around the outer edge, about 3cm high is perfect.
Put the meringue into the preheated oven and bake for two hours. Turn off the oven and use a wooden spoon to hold the door slightly ajar. Allow the meringue to cool in the oven for at least an hour.
Prepare the strawberries. They will need about thirty minutes to macerate; time this so that they are ready just in time for you to assemble and serve the pavlova. Wash, hull, and halve the strawberries, leaving three to four nice big ones intact to decorate the top of the pavlova. Place the strawberries into a bowl, along with the caster sugar, pomegranate molasses and the sumac. Stir to coat the fruit, cover with a clean tea towel, and set aside for thirty minutes.
Make the labneh cream. Remove the labneh from the cloth and place it in a large bowl. Put the cream, two teaspoons of caster sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla essence into a separate bowl and whip the cream to stiff peaks. Add one third of the whipped cream to the labneh and stir it in. Take your time and go gently so that you retain as much of the air in the cream as possible. Repeat twice more until the labneh is combined with all the whipped cream and has a lovely smooth consistency.
Assemble the pavlova. Place the meringue base on a serving platter and spoon on the labneh cream, spreading it to fill in the top of the meringue. Use a slotted spoon to remove the macerated strawberries from their bowl. Drain any liquid left behind into a small saucepan. Arrange the strawberries in a pile on top of the cream. Bring the pan of the strawberry and sumac juices to a simmer and reduce it down to a thick syrup. This will only take a few minutes as there will not be much to reduce, but it tastes fabulous, so make sure to use it. When it has the consistency of runny honey, put it into a cold bowl to allow it to cool for a few minutes.
Scatter a handful of fresh pomegranate seeds over the top of the pavlova and drizzle over the strawberry and sumac syrup. Cut the retained strawberries in half lengthwise with their stalks still intact. Arrange them on top of the pavlova and add a few fresh sprigs of mint leaves. Serve right away.
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