This stunning Salted Brandy Caramel and Lady Finger Banana Pavlova recipe by Maggie Beer is easy to make and adds a selection of rich, exotic flavours to an otherwise everyday dessert.
Ingredients
4free range egg whites
pinch ofsalt
220gcaster sugar
1 tbspncornflour
1 tbspnVerjuice
375mlthickened cream
375mlcrème fraîche
1 jarSalted Brandy Caramel
4lady finger bananas peeled and sliced (lightly blackened to show they a ripe)
1/4 cupbrown sugar
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C.
Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer with a pinch of salt and whisk until soft peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar, a third at a time, whisking until the mixture is stiff and glossy. Check the sugar is dissolved by rubbing the mixture between your fingers.
Add the cornflour and Verjuice and do a final whisk to combine. You’ll know when the meringue is stiff and glossy because the mixture will have tripled in volume and stands up when the beaters are lifted.
Divide the mixture evenly into two baking trays lined with non-stick baking paper, and using a spoon, shape the meringue into rectangles, roughly 22cm x 8cm.
Place the meringues into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 140C. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
Turn the oven off and allow to cool completely in the oven with the door ajar.
To prepare the cream filling, place the thickened cream into the bowl of an electric mixer and whip to soft peaks. Add the crème fraiche and whip for another 30 seconds. Gently fold through the Salted Brandy Caramel.
To prepare the bananas, coat each side of the banana slices with brown sugar. Place a large non-stick frypan over a medium heat, and once hot, add the banana and fry on each side for 3 to 4 minutes or until caramelised. Remove and set aside.
To serve, place one of the meringue slabs onto a serving platter. Spoon half of the cream mixture onto the meringue and spread out evenly, then place the second meringue on top and spoon over the remaining amount of cream. Spread cream evenly, then top with sliced caramelised banana.