Red wine pear pavlova wreath
Serves: 8 generously
![Red wine pear pavlova wreath](/uploads/media/720x770/08/12578-POACHED-PEAR.jpg?v=1-0)
Recipe photograph by Toby Scott
Red wine pear pavlova wreath
Glossy red-wine-poached pears and plump blackberries nestle into a meringue wreath with an orange mascarpone cream. A luscious end to a festive feast
Serves: 8 generously
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
643Kcal
Fat
24gr
Saturates
15gr
Carbs
84gr
Sugars
83gr
Fibre
2gr
Protein
4gr
Salt
0.2gr
![Abigail Spooner](/uploads/media/100x100/06/10586-Abi.jpg?v=1-0)
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
![Abigail Spooner](/uploads/media/100x100/06/10586-Abi.jpg?v=1-0)
Abigail Spooner
Abi is our former Junior Food Editor. An obsessive foodie with a sweet tooth, she is happiest when baking and is a firm believer that there is always room for dessert (preferably following a big bowl of pasta)
See more of Abigail Spooner’s recipes
Ingredients
- 6 large egg white
- 350g caster sugar
- 1½ tsp cornflour
- 1½ tsp white wine or cider vinegar
For the poached pears
- 1 x 75cl bottle fruity red wine* (such as shiraz)
- 250g light brown sugar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 250g frozen blackberries
- 8 mini pears
To serve
- 250ml double cream
- 125g mascarpone
- 30g icing sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- sprigs of lemon thyme or mint, optional
Step by step
Get ahead
Poach the pears and store them in their syrup in the fridge for up to 3 days.You may need to bubble the syrup to reduce it again before serving. Bake the meringue up to 2 days ahead and store in an airtight container.
- Preheat the oven to 140°C, fan 120°C, gas 1. Draw a 25cm circle on a sheet of baking paper (use a large plate as a guide) and flip over onto a baking tray, so that the mark is on the underside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking well after each addition, until you have a stiff and glossy meringue. Finally, briefly whisk in the cornflour and vinegar until combined. Secure the baking paper to the tray with a few dabs of meringue mixture to hold it down at the corners.
- Spoon 8 large heaps of the meringue mixture around the marked circle in a wreath shape. Using the back of a spoon, make an indentation in each heap that will later hold a poached pear.
- Bake for 1 hour, then turn the oven off and leave the meringue inside for at least 2 hours to dry out as it cools.
- Meanwhile for the poached pears, put the red wine, sugar, cinnamon sticks and blackberries in a saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes to infuse, then strain the liquid into a clean pan that’s large enough to hold the pears. Reserve the poached blackberries for serving. Return the cinnamon sticks to the liquid.
- Peel the pears and remove the core via the base. Lower the pears into the wine syrup, return to the boil then reduce the heat. Cover the pears with a sheet of scrunched-up baking paper to help keep them submerged. Simmer gently until tender, turning now and then so that they cook and colour evenly; 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on ripeness.
- Carefully lift out the pears using a slotted spoon and set aside to cool in a large shallow dish. Bubble the poaching liquid until lightly syrupy and reduced by about two-thirds. Pour over the pears and cool completely.
- Whip the cream and mascarpone with the icing sugar and orange zest until it just starts to form soft peaks (take care not to over whip).
-
To serve, carefully peel the base paper from the meringue and transfer to a serving platter or board. Spoon dollops of the whipped cream into the indentations and top each with a poached pear and a few blackberries. Stir the syrup to loosen and drizzle some over the pears. Garnish with thyme or mint sprigs if you like.
*Check your wine is vegetarian, if required.