Make your pavlova as per this recipe here. When it's out of the oven and cooling, whip up the below for a showstopping summer pud:
- Fig Leaves x 2
- Fresh Figs (approx. 6)
- Raspberries, 1 punnet
- Double Cream, 600ml
- Pistachios, handful
First, infuse the cream with a couple of fig leaves - remove their stalks - sometimes the sap can curdle your cream - and toast them in a cast iron skillet, or in the oven at a low temperature. They should shrink and dry out a little but don’t let them burn. At the same time, toast your pistachios until lightly roasted, not at all charred.
Add the toasted leaves to a pan of cream and heat very gently for 30 minutes, making sure the cream doesn’t boil. Remove the leaves and let the cream cool completely.
Whip to a very soft peak - I like to whisk by hand near the end or turn the electric whisk right down as you can overdo it quickly – you are looking for soft folds in the cream.
Load atop your pavlova base and then pile high with the sliced fruit and a handful of gently roasted pistachios. If you like a little extra sweetness, drizzle with honey.
