Tropical Pavlova with pineapple flowers and passionfruit

Tropical Pavlova

with pineapple flowers and passionfruit

This pretty pavlova does as much feasting for the eyes as it does for the taste buds. The classic sweet summer dessert has been given a lift with the combination of tart pineapple and passionfruit together with the crunch of tropical Australian macadamias and coconut chips.

Tropical Pavlova - image Jessica Wyld

I VEG I GF I

Serves 8 - 10


1 x Foundation Pavlova recipe (see below)

Ingredients

1 pineapple (or store-bought dried pineapple slices)

170g passionfruit pulp in syrup

1 lime, juiced and added to passionfruit pulp syrup

4 passionfruit, halved

½ cup macadamias, toasted and roughly chopped

½ cup toasted coconut chips - store-bought

½ cup banana chips

1 Tbsp raw sugar


Method


Dehydrated Pineapple Flowers

  1. Pre-heat oven to 100°C.

  2. Line  two oven trays with baking paper and top with wire cooling racks. 

  3. Remove skin and leaves from pineapple, and slice rounds very thinly, approximately 5mm thick. 

  4. Arrange pineapple slices on wire racks giving each slice plenty of space for heat to circulate. 

  5. Place in oven and cook for 30 minutes.

  6. Flip pineapple slices and cook for a further 20 minutes until completely dry to touch.

  7. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

If you have a dehydrator go ahead and use that instead, following product instructions. You can also purchase dehydrated fruit if that suits better.


Banana Crumb

  1. Blitz  banana chips and sugar in a food processor to a fine crumb.


To Assemble

  1. Place meringue on a serving platter. 

  2. Pile pavlova with cream and decorate with pineapple flowers, drizzle passionfruit syrup, scatter macadamias and toasted coconut chips. 

  3. Finish with fresh passionfruit and a dusting of banana chip crumb. 

Make Ahead

  • Meringue

  • Toasted and chopped macadamias

  • Dehydrated pineapple flowers

  • Banana chip crumb

COOK’S NOTES

+ cream can be whipped in advance, but give it another quick whip just before assembling.


Scroll past the image below for the foundation pavlova recipe..

FOUNDATION PAVLOVA RECIPE

I VEG I GF I

Serves 8 - 10

Ingredients

6 egg whites, at room temperature

1 ½ cups caster sugar

1 Tbsp cornflour

½ tsp white vinegar

600ml whipping cream 

1 Tbsp of icing sugar

Method

Meringue 

Pre-heat oven 120 °C.

  1. Line a baking tray with baking paper and mark a 20 cm circle. 

  2. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer on a medium high speed until soft peaks form.

  3. While still mixing, gradually add sugar, one spoonful at a time, allowing the sugar to completely dissolve before adding more (total time 7 - 10 minutes).

  4. Gently fold in  the cornflour and white vinegar by hand.

  5. Using the marked circle as a guide, spread meringue onto the prepared tray. Spoon meringue into the middle then spread to the outside, creating an even height.

  6. Bake for about 1 ½ hours or until dry. 

  7. Turn off oven and leave pavlova to cool in oven with door ajar. 

 Whipped Cream

  1. Whip cream and icing sugar together until soft peaks form.