Christmas Pavlova Roll (Roulade)

Ok before you all panic about rolling up a pavlova, trust me it is much easier than you think. I too had a panic attack at the first one I tried, but honestly if you handle it like a piece of floured dough and take no care it will turn out beautifully!

Pavlova is something that my family has on the menu at Christmas without fail. This recipe is the easiest I have yet to find and can be made the morning of or the day before. Any type of fresh fruit can be used but I absolutely love this made with fresh mangoes and pomegranate. My grandmother had a pomegranate tree and as kids we would sit under her tree and break open the pomegranates and pull out the tiny seeds for hours. These are definitely one of the most delicious fruits I have ever eaten. In combination with mangoes in this recipe, the two tastes are absolutely spectacular. I'm definitely making this recipe again this Christmas as we are heading to Moree the pomegranates will definitely be there as a great tradition and memory for my siblings and I to talk about on Christmas Day.

Ingredients:

8 large egg whites

2 cups castor sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 extra tablespoon of cornflour

300ml thickened cream

2 large mangoes

1 large pomegranate

Small packet of chocolate drops melted

Method:

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees or 140 degrees fan forced. Line a large flat pan with baking paper-probably the biggest you have that will fit in your oven.
Beat egg whites in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Add the sugar, a little at a time and beat until the sugar is dissolved between additions and firm peaks have formed.
Remove the bowl from the beater and ever so gently sift in the corn flour over the mixture and add the vinegar and vanilla. Gently fold into the egg white mixture. I cannot stress that this must be done gently!
Next pour the mixture out onto the lined pan. Make it into a large rectangle shape about 1.5 to 2 cm thick. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. You will know it’s cooked when the top is slightly browned and the feeling is like a spongy marshmallow.
When you take it out of the oven “very roughly” flip it over onto a tea towel lined with more baking paper. Remove the existing baking paper off the bottom of the meringue. Let cool.
Once the pavlova has cooled, spread on one long side about 5cm wide and the full length of the pavlova a smear of the thick cream. (It is best to beat this to a thick consistency if you don’t buy the already thickened cream.) On top of the cream place your wedges of mango and sprinkle some of the juice and seeds from the pomegranate.
Starting at the side where the cream and fruit is placed, grab the tea towel and start to roll up the pavlova. Using a knife to hold the fruit in and rolling at the same time. Once it is into a log shape, lift it up and place it onto a large long serving dish.
The top may appear a little crackly but this is ok as you can cover this. I then top the pavlova with another squirt of cream using a piping bag I run it all along the top. I then place some extra mango and pomegranate seeds on top and then drizzle the melted chocolate all over the pavlova.
If you refrigerate the pavlova for a few hours it sets hard and is much easier to slice into your pieces.
Enjoy.