Peach & Pomegranate Pavlova with Naga Chilli Honey
This is a beautiful dessert that looks like a showstopper but is actually really simple to put together. Piled on top of the crisp meringue and whipped cream is a gorgeous cocktail of summer flavours – peaches, pomegranate and fresh mint – and the sweetness is balanced with a hint of chilli warmth from Chilli Pepper Pete’s Hot Naga Honey. Sweet and heat is the perfect combination to stop a dessert being too sickly, so if you haven’t tried it before, give this a go.
Ingredients
For the meringue:
3 eggs
175g icing sugar
A few drops of lemon juice
To decorate:
200ml double cream
2 ripe peaches
2 tbsp Chilli Pepper Pete Hot Naga Honey
A big handful of pomegranate cells
A small handful of fresh mint
Serves 8
1. Start by making the meringue – it’s not too complicated, but it does need plenty of time to cook and then to sit in the warm oven to make it properly crisp, so if you can make it a few hours before serving or even the night before, that’s ideal.
2. Preheat the oven to 150˚C (140˚C fan). Meanwhile, separate the three eggs, being very careful not to get any yolk in the whites. Set the yolks aside (you don’t need them for this recipe) and beat the whites until soft peaks are formed.
3. Next, weigh out the icing sugar. Add to the beaten whites a quarter at a time, and each time, whisk the whites until you get back to the soft peaks stage. Once you’ve added all the sugar, whisk the whites until they form stiff shiny peaks.
4. Line a baking tray with baking parchment (not greaseproof paper, which baked meringue really sticks to) or siliconized baking paper. Gently scrape out the meringue onto the paper and use a spatula to spread out into a rough circle.
5. Place the meringue in the oven and bake for an hour – do not open the oven door during this time. Once the time is up, turn the oven off and leave the meringue in there to dry out further – for at least 30 minutes, or as long as you can.
6. Pop Chilli Pepper Pete’s Hot Naga Honey in a saucepan and heat gently on the hob until nice and runny. Cut the peaches open (removing the stone) and cut into slices. Take the saucepan off the heat, add the peaches, and stir to coat with the honey.
7. Whip the double cream until soft and fluffy, then spread over the top of your meringue. Finish with the peaches, pomegranate cells and a sprinkling of fresh mint.
NAGA GHOST HOT HONEY
CHIPOTLE HOT HONEY
HABANERO HOT HONEY