Coconut & Plum Pavlovas

Serves 6

2 hours

526 Kcals/portion

Fat 35g (22.2g sat)
per portion

Suitable for vegetarians

Egg whites 3

Caster sugar 225g (8oz)

Cornflour 1 tsp

White wine vinegar 1 tsp

Desiccated coconut 75g (3oz)

Plums 450g (1lb), stoned and thickly sliced

Ground cinnamon ¼ tsp

Double cream 300ml pot

Plain yogurt 150g pot

1 Preheat the oven to 110°C/225°F/Gas ¼. Line a large baking sheet with a sheet of non-stick baking paper. Whisk the egg whites in a large bowl with a hand-held electric mixer until they are stiff and the bowl can be turned upside down without the meringue moving.

2 Gradually whisk in 175g (6oz) sugar, a teaspoonful at a time and continue to whisk for 1–2 minutes until the meringue is very thick and glossy. Mix the cornflour and vinegar together, then fold into the meringue. Sprinkle the coconut over the top and fold in gently.

3 Spoon six large mounds of meringue onto the prepared baking sheet and spread them into swirly circles, each about 10cm (4in) in diameter. Bake the meringues for 1¼–1½ hours until the Pavlovas can be lifted off the paper easily. Set aside to cool.

4 Meanwhile, to make the topping, put the plums, remaining sugar and cinnamon together with 2 tablespoons of water into a saucepan. Simmer gently for 5–8 minutes until just tender but the fruit is still holding its shape, then leave to cool.

5 To serve, transfer the Pavlovas to serving plates. Whisk the cream in a bowl until it forms soft swirls then fold in the yogurt. Spoon the creamy mixture over the top of the Pavlovas and top with the plums.

Cook’s tips
Use the leftover egg yolks in the Rich Lemon Chicken on page 66. Otherwise use to make proper custard. You could use damsons or rhubarb instead of plums if you prefer.

A Fantastic Food For Less recipe

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