Adam Liaw’s pavlova Barbara

Name: Adam Liaw’s pavlova Barbara
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 8-10
Cuisine: Modern Australian,Middle Eastern
Ingredients: 6 egg whites; 450g icing sugar mixture; 1 tsp cornflour; ¼ tsp cream of tartar; a pinch of salt; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 2 cups pitted cherries, halved; 1 cup apricots, quartered; ½ cup pomegranate arils; ¼ cup crushed pistachios; ¼ cup chopped walnuts; ½ tsp sugar-coated fennel seeds (from Indian grocers, optional)

Adam Liaw

December 2, 2024

The pavlova Barbara’s decorations are inspired by the pudding known as burbara.William Meppem

Time:2 hours +Serves:8-10

This is based on a Palestinian Christian dessert, made to celebrate St Barbara’s Day on December 4, that’s similar to a rice pudding but made with wheat, dried fruits and nuts. This version takes those flavours and combines them with fresh fruit for a Christmas pav with a difference.

Ingredients

6 egg whites
450g icing sugar mixture
1 tsp cornflour
¼ tsp cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups pitted cherries, halved
1 cup apricots, quartered
½ cup pomegranate arils
¼ cup crushed pistachios
¼ cup chopped walnuts
½ tsp sugar-coated fennel seeds (from Indian grocers, optional)

VANILLA CREAM

450ml thickened cream, whipped
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Step 1
Heat your oven to 110C. Add the egg whites, icing sugar mixture, cornflour, cream of tartar and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat to a glossy, stiff meringue. This will take 5-8 minutes.
Step 2
Lay a piece of baking paper onto a baking sheet and spread the meringue onto the baking paper in a 20cm circle. Bake the pavlova for 90 minutes and then turn off the oven, wedging the door open very slightly with a wooden spoon and allowing the pavlova to cool in the oven for 2 hours. Remove from the oven to cool further.
Step 3
Whip the cream and the vanilla together until soft peaks form. Top the pavlova with the whipped cream, sprinkle with sugar and scatter with the fruit and nuts. Finish with a few candied fennel seeds if you have them.