Poached Pear Pavlova

INGREDIENTS:

MERINGUE:

• 4 Egg Whites, room temperature
• 200g Caster Sugar
• 2 tsp Corn Flour
• 2 tsp White Wine Vinegar

POACHED PEARS:

• 6 Pears, peeled
• 200g Soft Brown Sugar
• 1 Vanilla Pod, sliced down the middle
• 1 inch of Fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced
• 5 Bay Leaves

MASCARPONE CREAM:

• 250g Mascarpone
• 100ml Double Cream
• 30g Icing Sugar
• 1 tsp Vanilla Essence

METHOD:

1. Preheat the oven to 150C Fan/ 170C / Gas Mark 3.
2. In a stand mixer whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks (5-6 Mins on Medium High), add the sugar a tbsp at a time until glossy and thick. Whisk through the cornflour and vinegar at the end - these help to stabilise the meringue.
3. Spread the meringue onto two baking sheets lined with parchment to around 20 cm in diameter. Bake for 20 minutes until crisp and come off the parchment easily. If the meringue is getting brown lower the heat. Turn off the oven, leave the door slightly ajar and leave the meringues to cool.
4. For the poached pears add the brown sugar to a saucepan along with a 50 ml cold water and melt over a medium high heat until bubbling and a deep caramel colour. Pour a further 200 ml water into the pan and add the pears, vanilla pod, ginger and bay leaves and poach for 15-20 minutes until the pears are tender. Remover the pears once soft and turn up the heat to reduce the syrup until thick and jammy and allow to completely cool.
5. Whisk together the mascarpone, cream and icing sugar until thick. Divide across the top of each of the meringues, drizzle with the cooled syrup, stack one on top of the other and top with the poached pears cut in half with a little more of the syrup.