Recipe: Berry Pavolva

A luxurious Berry Pavlova is the subject of Head Chef, Chris Hazelton’s latest recipe.

At The Rookery, it’s all about showcasing local produce. I take great care in sourcing our ingredients from local trusted suppliers, and our menu is based around seasonal produce to ensure that we can have the best quality ingredients all year round. The fresh berries used in this recipe couldn’t be any more local if we tried! They are from the Carnoustie Farm Shop, just a stone’s throw from the restaurant and our eggs come from Tillygloom Farm in Brechin, Angus.

We take great pride in being able to offer a true taste of Scotland, creating dishes that are inventive, beautifully presented and above all, delicious. Carnoustie lies at the heart Scotland’s great larder. Our menu celebrates the best ingredients from the land and sea. This month, we are coming into the very best part of the berry season. As the berries are at their most ripe and in turn, most delicious, it’s the perfect time to make this summery dessert. The blackberries in my garden have just started to come out which is an exciting time for the family, meaning this dish will be on my table at home!

This berry pavlova recipe uses local blackberries and blueberries, it’s a luxurious but light dish that gives the flavour of the berries a chance to shine. This method is for individual pavlovas, but you can easily make a big family sized dish that you can all get stuck in to. All you need to do is spread the meringue over a large lined baking tray and increase the cooking time to 105 minutes. You can be as neat as you like, sometimes with a sharing plate, it’s nice to be a bit more rustic with your meringue!

Berry Pavlova

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the meringue:

60g egg whites

90g caster sugar

For the custard:

40g caster sugar

60g egg yolk

250ml double cream

1 vanilla pod

For the berry compote:

100g blueberries

100g blackberries

50g caster sugar

100ml water

Method

1. As the meringue takes the most time to prepare, it’s best to do it first. Preheat the oven to 90°C. Add the egg whites to a bowl and whip to stiff peaks. Gradually incorporate all of the sugar and continue whisking. The mix should take a silky, shiny appearance once the sugar has been added. Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe it into nests on a lined baking tray. Bake for approximately 1hr 15mins.
2. While the meringues are baking, you can prepare the custard. To start, whip together the sugar and egg yolk. Put the cream and vanilla in a pan on the stove and bring them to the boil. Remove the pan and add half of the cream to the sugar and egg while whisking. Then add the remainder of the liquid to the mixture. Return the mixture to the stove on a low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.
3. Next, make the berry compote. Take 25g of each of the berries and bring to the boil in a pan with the sugar and water until the berries soften. Reduce the heat by half and then blitz. Whilst warm add the remainder of the berries to infuse.
4. To service, allow all of the elements of the dish to cool and then pour the custard onto the base of the serving plate. Place the meringue nest on the custard. With the back of the spoon, tap a hole in the meringue, fill the hole with the berry compote. Serve and enjoy.