Culinary Cultures Echoing ‘Inbetweenness’

Peach Bellini And Pink Praline Pavlova

Ingredients

• For the meringue
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon
• 320g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 200g free-range egg whites (about 6 medium whites)
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• For the praline
• 90g caster sugar
• 60g unsalted whole almonds
• Dash natural pink food colouring
• For the purée
• 420g tin peaches in syrup, drained
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
• 30g caster sugar
• For the glaze
• 300ml prosecco or sparkling wine
• 100g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• To finish
• 500ml double cream
• 2 large peaches or nectarines
• Specialist kit
• Probe thermometer
• Useful to have Mandoline
• How to make?

Preheat the oven to 120ºC (fan/gas mark 1). Draw a 22cm circle on a piece of baking paper and place it upside down on a baking sheet. In a bowl, mix lemon zest with 20g of sugar and whisk in cornflour. Save the zested lemon for later.

Ensure your stand mixer bowl is clean, then wipe the inside with a little lemon juice. Add egg whites and cream of tartar, whisking for 3-4 minutes until medium-soft peaks form. Gradually add 1 tbsp of sugar at a time, increasing the speed after each addition. Whisk at the highest speed for 1-2 minutes until stiff peaks form. Finally, whisk in the lemony sugar mixture.

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Shape the meringue into a circle on the baking sheet. Use a palette knife to smooth the edges. Bake for 3½-4 hours until fully dry, then turn off the oven and let the meringue cool with the door open.

By Ishita Kamra

While the meringue bakes, prepare the pink pralines. Heat 65g of sugar in a saucepan with 1 tbsp of water to 135ºC, swirling (instead of stirring). Quickly add almonds and food colouring, stirring vigorously for 1-2 minutes. The pink sugar will coat the almonds. Remove the coated almonds, leaving behind loose pink sugar. Repeat the process with the remaining sugar. Place the almonds in a baking dish below the meringue for 20 minutes. Remove and let them cool completely.

For the peach purée, whizz the tinned peaches until smooth, then tip into a large saucepan. Add the lemon juice, vanilla, sugar and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, then cook for 12-14 minutes, whisking continuously until it reduces by roughly half into an intense thick purée. Leave to cool completely.

To make the glaze, bring the prosecco and sugar to the boil in a saucepan, then cook for 12-15 minutes until it reduces into a honey-like syrup. Whisk in the lemon juice, then leave to cool.

To assemble, whip the double cream until thick, dollop over the cool meringue, then ripple over the cooled peach purée. Top with fresh peach or nectarine slices, or make peach roses by slicing the fruit thinly using a mandolin and twisting into flower shapes. Drizzle over the prosecco glaze and sprinkle over crushed pink pralines to finish. Feel free to sprinkle some sprinkles of your own!