The Monday Morning Cooking Club’s fig and caramel sour cream pavlova

If you find pavlova alluring but the meringue just too sweet, try adding this irresistible layer of umami.

Sweet and savoury: the Monday Morning Cooking Club’s pavlova

If you find pavlova alluring but the meringue just too sweet, try topping it with sour cream and salted tahini caramel, which adds an irresistible layer of umami. When figs are at their late-summer peak, you don’t need to bother grilling them. The meringue base is best started a day ahead.

Fig & caramel sour cream pavlova

6 egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
400g (1¾ cups) caster sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
1½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste
1½ teaspoons white vinegar

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Caramel sauce

80g (¹⁄³ cup) caster sugar
2 tablespoons water
40g unsalted butter, chopped
2 tablespoons pure cream
50g (¼ cup) tahini
¼ teaspoon sea salt

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Topping

500g figs, quartered
1 tablespoon honey
375g (1½ cups) sour cream, whisked to soft peaks
2 tablespoons roasted pistachios, chopped (optional)

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Preheat oven to 150°C and grease a large baking tray. Using an electric mixer, whisk egg whites with salt until soft peaks form, then slowly add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing continuously until incorporated. Whisk until glossy (about 5 minutes) then add cornflour and whisk a few more minutes. Rub mixture between your fingers: there should be virtually no grains of sugar remaining. Using a metal spoon or spatula, gently fold in vanilla and vinegar. Pile meringue onto baking tray and flatten a little with a spatula to form a 25cm circle. Reduce oven temperature to 110°C and bake for 2 hours, then turn the oven off and leave pavlova in the closed oven until completely cool (or overnight).

To make caramel, place sugar and water in a small, heavy-based saucepan over medium heat; stir until sugar has melted. Bring to the boil, then simmer over low heat for about 8 minutes or until mixture is a rich dark brown (or reaches 175°C on a sugar thermometer). Remove from heat and add butter and cream, stirring constantly; take care as the mixture may spit. Add tahini and salt and whisk thoroughly until combined. This sauce can be stored in the fridge and warmed very gently in the microwave for drizzling. If it splits when warming, add 1 tablespoon of hot water and stir well.

Preheat oven grill to high and line a baking tray with foil. Place figs on tray, drizzle with honey and grill for 5 minutes or until warmed through and slightly collapsed. Set aside to cool. To serve, top meringue with sour cream, then figs, and drizzle with caramel. Scatter with pistachios, if using. Serves about 12

Extract from Now for Something Sweet by the Monday Morning Cooking Club (Lisa Goldberg, Merelyn Chalmers, Natanya Eskin, Jacqui Israel; HarperCollins, $49.99). Photography: Alan Benson