Timmy's pavlova with vanilla honey yoghurt cream and strawberry compote

NZ Herald 22/11/2012

Peter Gordon

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Peter Gordon’s mother Timmy and her pavlova with vanilla honey yoghurt cream and strawberry compote.

"My mum Timmy makes, without doubt, the best pavlova ever. I should know as I eat at least one whenever I come back to NZ - this year I managed to get through my share of at least six."

Make the pavlova up to three days before you need it to save the hassle, and store on a plate covered with foil. Make sure you don't put the cream and strawberries on any longer than three hours before you're going to eat it as it'll go soggy.

Pavlova

3	Eggs, use large (jumbo) eggs
1 cup	Caster sugar, just less than a cup
1 tbsp	Cornflour
1 tsp	Malt vinegar, any vinegar is ok

Vanilla honey yoghurt cream

500 ml	Cream, chilled in the fridge
2 tsp	Vanilla paste, Peter Gordon recommends Heilala vanilla paste
3 tbsp	Honey, Any delicious honey will work but manuka honey is great
300 ml	Thick greek yoghurt, try Clevedon Vallety buffalo yoghurt

Strawberry compote

2 punnets	Strawberries
5 tbsp	Icing sugar
1	Orange, for 1 tsp of finely grated zest

Directions

Set oven at 180 degC.
Mum likes to use a hand-held electric mixer for this. Beat the whites till stiff then slowly add the sugar, initially a tablespoon at a time. Once half has been added you can add it a bit faster. Turn your beaters off.
Sprinkle the cornflour and vinegar over the top of your meringue and then slowly mix it in - don't beat.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment and then transfer your mixture onto it with a spatula. Make any shape you want (a log, a round, a square). Place the tray in the oven then immediately drop the temperature to 130 degC.
Bake for one hour then turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool in the oven.

Vanilla honey yoghurt cream

Lightly whisk the cream and vanilla to soft peaks in a chilled bowl.
Whisk the honey into the yoghurt and add this to the cream, then continue to beat until you have firm peaks.

Strawberry compote - This couldn't be simpler and it doesn't even need cooking. I add a few shots of Golden Stolen Rum if it's an adults-only dessert.

Hull the strawberries, then slice about 1/2 cm thick.
Toss with the icing sugar and zest and leave in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
The juice that runs off is lovely, but keep it separate and drizzle over the pavlova as you serve it or it can make the pavlova go soggy.

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