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Social Pantry Christmas 2020
Words Alex Head
Even though we may not be able to spend time this Christmas, with all the people we love this year, there is no reason that we can’t still enjoy a special festive and fun-filled Christmas day. I am secretly excited that I don’t have to cook for the normal 16 guests and instead, I am taking time to focus on the finer details; from carefully planning the tablespace to sustainable wrapping paper, I want to make this year extra special.
I love planning my menu and this year I have decided to have some fun with it all. Despite making one every year, I am not a fan of a Christmas pudding so I am going to be cooking Social Pantry’s signature Pavlova for everyone to enjoy. I will make the meringue three days before Christmas and store it in an airtight container so on the day I only need to whip some cream and decorate it.
I love planning my Christmas table as much as I enjoy planning the menu. From statement candles, festive napkins, and bespoke place names, I love making an impact and creating a memorable table. When creating your table, my top tip is to decide on your base colours and then use candles or flowers to add in some fun pops of colour on top.
Please do let me know how you get on! @alexhead_sp @social_pantry
Christmas Pavlova
Makes one very large pavlova
Meringue
210g Egg Whites
350g Caster Sugar
1 tbsp Cornflour
1 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
1 tsp cocoa powder
Topping
600ml double cream or 300ml double cream & 300ml crème fraiche
2 tsp Icing sugar
1 punnet fresh blackberries
4 x fresh figs
25g Cocoa nibs or grated chocolate
200g Dark Chocolate (70%)
Method
Place the egg whites in a clean bowl of mixer. You can do this by hand but it is quicker and easier with a mixer.
Whisk on medium speed until medium-stiff peaks. Top Tip: you want to build up lots of small bubbles slowly as this will create a more stable meringue.
Once the egg white reaches this stage, slowly add in the caster sugar tbsp spoon at a time.
Once all the sugar has been added, continue whisking on a low speed until the sugar has dissolved. Top Tip: Test this by rubbing meringue between your fingers, when all the sugar has been dissolved it should feel completely smooth.
Add a tsp warm water to help this process along.
Meanwhile, prepare your trays.
Line two flat trays with baking parchment, use a bowl or plate as a circle to draw around to give a guide for the piping of the meringue.
Fill a piping bag with the meringue and divide the mixture between the two trays.
Using a sieve, lightly dust the top of the meringue with a little cocoa powder.
For the best results, bake overnight at 90C.
Once cooked, allow to cool completely.
Top Tip: This can be done in advance and stored in an airtight container until ready to decorate and serve.
To serve, gently melt the chocolate over a bain-marie (bowl over a pan of water), then set aside to cool a little.
Lightly whip the double cream and icing sugar together, cut half the blackberries in half lengthways and keep the other whole and cut the figs into quarters.
Layer up the two meringues with the whipped cream, blackberries, cocoa nibs and top with the figs. Drizzle the dark chocolate over the whole thing, and serve!
Top tips on not wasting the egg yolks:
Make a hollandaise for Christmas morning to serve with poached eggs and smoked salmon.
Use the egg yolks to enrich your sausage meat stuffing on Christmas Day.
Make a boozy custard for the Christmas pudding, make in advance and serve warm.
Add truffle oil to a mayonnaise recipe for indulgent boxing day turkey sandwiches.
Cure the individual egg yolks in salt and sugar for 4 days, once cured and dried out, egg yolks can keep for 1 month in an airtight container. Grate over pasta, risotto and creamy fish dishes.