Ah, the humble pav. A Kiwi classic, a bite of that crispy crust and light, airy inside - topped with lashings of whipped cream, of course - encapsulates the feeling of warm, summer evenings on the deck with friends and family.
Elevated with vanilla cream, pistachio praline and berry coulis, this layered meringue torte by celebrity cook and local legend Annabel Langbein and her daughter Rose is sure to impress this summer. The components of this delectable dessert can be prepared several days in advance for an easy assembly: a great bet for the organised home-cook or host.
The Langbein's pavlova also serves 10 to 12, making it an ideal option for dinner parties, large gatherings or a sweet treat after a summery barbecue.
With lots of whipping and whisking involved, Annabel and Rose recommend opting for a Kenwood Mixer to make the process as simple as possible. The mum-and-daughter duo became Kenwood ambassadors last year following a lifelong love of their products.
Layered Meringue Torte with Berries and Praline
Ready in 1.5 hours, plus cooling
Serves 10–12
Make the berry coulis and pistachio praline, if using, in advance.
Pistachio praline
Ready in 20 minutes, plus cooling
Makes 1 cup
This crunchy nut praline is a fabulous topping for special desserts and will keep in a sealed jar for weeks. You can either break into shards or blitz with a processor - Annabel recommends using her Kenwood processor to achieve a fine crumb.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup shelled pistachio nuts
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp water.
Preheat your oven to 180C fan bake and roast the pistachios on an oven tray until they smell aromatic and start to split (about five minutes).
Line an oven tray or shallow oven dish with baking paper, tip the nuts on top and arrange in a single layer.
Melt the sugar and water in a heavy pot over a medium heat. Swirl the pot occasionally, but do not stir as this can make the mixture crystallise. When the syrup is a clear, deep golden brown, pour over the nuts on the prepared tray. Tilt the tray to spread out the mixture thinly.
When cooled and set hard, break the praline into shards. You can also make a fine praline crumb by blitzing it in a food processor, or break it up into chunks, place in a clean paper bag and smash into small pieces with a rolling pin. Stored in an airtight container, the praline will keep for months.
Berry coulis
Ready in five minutes
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients:
- 4 cups fresh or thawed frozen raspberries, or boysenberries
- 4 tbsp icing sugar
- 2 tbsp orange or lemon juice.
Place the berries in a pot with sugar and vanilla and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the citrus juice.
Press through a sieve to remove any pips. Store in the fridge for up to four days until needed. It can also be frozen: thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Meringue
Ingredients:
- 6 egg whites (make sure your egg whites are not too fresh, or the pavlova will weep)
- 1½ cups caster sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 1 tsp white vinegar (regular, white wine, or rice).
Preheat your oven to 120C. Line three baking trays with baking paper and use a pen to mark a 24–25 cm circle on each (use a dinner plate as a guide). Turn the paper over so the marking won't go into the meringue.
Place the egg whites in the clean bowl of your electric mixer - Annabel uses her Kenwood Patissier, with a whisk attachment - and beat until they start to foam.
With the mixer running, gradually add the sugar and salt, beating until the mixture forms stiff peaks and the sugar is fully dissolved (five to eight minutes). Add the vinegar and whisk to combine.
Divide the mixture between the three prepared trays and spread each out evenly using your marked paper as a guide to form three large discs.
Bake for one hour, then turn off the heat and leave to cool in the oven. The meringue should be fully dry and firm. The meringue discs can be carefully stacked (leave the baking paper on) and stored in a large airtight container for up to a week.
Vanilla cream
Ingredients:
- 500g mascarpone
- 300ml cream, chilled
- ¾ cup icing sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract.
To make the vanilla cream, place the mascarpone, cream, icing sugar and vanilla in the clean bowl of your electric mixer and beat until the mixture thickens and forms peaks (when you lift the beater, the mixture should hold its peaks).
Cover and chill until ready to assemble the torte (it will hold for several hours).
Assembling and serving
To serve:
- 3 punnets fresh berries, such as raspberries, blueberries, and/or sliced strawberries.
Assemble the torte up to two hours before serving. To assemble, place a meringue disc on a serving platter and spread over a third of the vanilla cream in a thin layer. Drizzle over two tablespoons of the berry coulis and top with a third of the berries. Top with another meringue disc, spread over another third of the cream, a little of the berry coulis and scatter another third of the berries. Place the final meringue disc on top, spread with the remaining cream, a little more berry coulis, and sprinkle with the remaining berries.
Garnish with shards of the pistachio praline, if using. Serve the remaining berry coulis in a small jug on the side.
