Recipe: Christmas pavlova

A classic vanilla meringue topped with orange zest & vanilla whipped cream, blood orange curd, triple sec-soaked orange segments and bright crunches of pomegranate

A pavlova has been on our dessert Christmas table for as long as I can remember. For years it was made by my mum, but most recently I have been the one making it. Last year I made one adorned with a caramel and rum whipped cream, and topped it with vanilla and cinnamon poached pears, which was decadent and delicious. This pavlova recipe suggests a fresher taste with juicy triple sec-soaked oranges and delicious bursts of crunchy pomegranate seeds. You could of course simply soak the oranges in some freshly-squeezed orange juice, if you want to go without the alcohol.

The cream is whipped with vanilla and orange zest, and is topped with homemade blood orange curd. Citrus has begun to pop up in abundance in shops and I think that this dessert is a great way to celebrate it. You could use a shop bought curd if you’re short on time–if you can’t find blood orange curd, a lemon curd would work here too.

As always, if you can I recommend you make the meringue the day before you want to serve it and leave it in the closed oven after baking where it will stay overnight–this is best in order to help prevent cracks in the meringue.