Christmas is the perfect time for a pav and this one’s a sure-fire crowd-pleaser. We’ve opted for fragrant lychees to complement the tang of the passionfruit, but any tropical fruit piled on top would work well. The pavlova shell will keep in an airtight container for one or two days; decorate it just before serving.
Ingredients
Passionfruit jam
Method
Main
1.Preheat oven to 120C. Lightly grease a baking tray and line with baking paper. Whisk eggwhites and a pinch of salt in an electric mixer until soft peaks form (3-4 minutes), then gradually add sugar and whisk until stiff and glossy. Fold in cornflour, vinegar and rind, then coconut and spoon onto baking tray in a 22cm-diameter pile, forming high sides. Bake until crisp on the outside, but not coloured (1½-2 hours), turn off oven and cool completely in oven (3-4 hours).
2.For passionfruit jam, process passionfruit in a food processor to crack seeds, strain into a saucepan and return a third of the seeds to the juice. Add sugar and vanilla seeds, stirring over medium-high heat to dissolve sugar, bring to the boil and cook until jammy (8-6 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in lime juice, then refrigerate until cooled and set (1-2 hours). Passionfruit jam will keep refrigerated for a week.
3.Whisk crème fraîche and icing sugar in a bowl to soft peaks, fold in a third of the passionfruit jam, then pile onto pavlova shell. Top with lychees and shaved coconut, and serve immediately with remaining passionfruit jam.
