Recipes

Beth O’Brien’s mango and lime pavlova

Mango and lime pavlova. Photograph: Beth O'Brien

Beth O'Brien
Sun Apr 2 2023 - 04:00
Makes: 1
Course: Dessert
Ingredients
  • For the meringue:
  • 140g egg whites (from four large free range eggs)
  • 110g caster sugar
  • 110g dark brown sugar
  • 2tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1tsp cornflour
  • 1tbsp water
  • For the filling:
  • 4 limes, juice and zest
  • 100g caster sugar
  • 50g butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • To assemble:
  • 300ml fresh cream
  • Two limes, zest of
  • 1tbsp icing sugar
  • 100g pistachios, lightly toasted and chopped
  • 1 ripe mango

1. Preheat the oven to 130 degrees.

2. Fill a small saucepan a quarter full of water, and bring to a low simmer. Put the egg whites and both sugars in a heatproof bowl and place over the simmering water. Whisk to combine and heat until the sugar has dissolved (and you can’t feel any grittiness between your fingers); this should take about 3-5 minutes.

3. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, and whisk at a medium-high speed for 10 minutes, until stiff glossy peaks. Mix together the white wine vinegar, cornflour and water in a separate bowl, add to the meringue, and whisk again for three minutes.

4. Draw an 18cm circle on a piece of parchment paper, and flip it over so that the pen or pencil mark is underneath. Tip the meringue out on to the paper, and use a palette knife to form a smooth semi-sphere. Then use the palette knife to create ridges all around, from the base to the top. Hollow out a little crater in the top. Bake at 130 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn down to 110 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave to cool completely in the oven (overnight, if possible).

5. For the curd, place the lime zest and juice, sugar and butter in a heavy-bottomed pan over a low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar and melt the butter. Whisk the eggs and yolks in a separate bowl to combine. When the sugar has dissolved, pour the contents of the pan over the eggs, whisking constantly. Then pour this mixture back into the pan and whisk constantly over a low heat until it has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely.

6. To assemble: Spoon most of the curd into the crater at the top of the pavlova, leaving a few spoonfuls in a bowl to serve. Sprinkle half the pistachios on the curd.

7. Place the cream, the zest of one lime and the icing sugar in a bowl and whip to soft peaks. Tip the cream into the crater. Peel the mango, remove the stone and slice the flesh. Arrange the mango on top of the cream, then top with the remaining pistachios and the zest of the second lime.

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