Festive dessert: pavlova grazing board with cranberry coulis and summer fruits

Who doesn’t love a grazing board? To celebrate the silly season, The Weekly’s Food Director Fran Abdallaoui has put a sweet summer spin on the traditional savoury plate.

These light, mini pavlovas are decorated with fresh fruit and cranberry coulis to add a festive note to the table this Christmas. And everyone can add their own creative spin with the delicious toppings.

“This delicious dessert is sure to be a crowd-pleaser and is easy to make, meaning you can spend more time with family and friends,” Fran says.

It’s the second summer recipe in The Australian Women’s Weekly partnership with Ocean Spray®, inspiring you to take your Christmas cooking to the next level. Now, you can delight your guests with our prosciutto pork wreath appetiser and this tasty twist on dessert.

Serves 8. Prep and cook time: 2 hours 15 minutes (plus cooling and draining overnight).

INGREDIENTS

Vanilla yoghurt

750g Greek style yoghurt

1 ½ tsp vanilla bean paste

Pavlovas

1¼ cups (275 grams) caster sugar

40g brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

6 egg whites

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 teaspoon white vinegar

Sliced mango, passionfruit pulp, chopped pistachios, coconut flakes and mint sprigs, to serve

Cranberry coulis

170grams packet Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries

1 cup (250ml) water

1½ tablespoons lime juice

Finely grated zest of 1 lime

Craisins® topping

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons Ocean Spray® Craisins® Dried Cranberries

125g strawberries, quartered

125g raspberries

METHOD

1 VANILLA YOGHURT Combine yoghurt and vanilla in a bowl; spoon yoghurt mixture into a muslin lined sieve and place over a saucepan. Cover with a plate; refrigerate overnight to drain.

2 PAVLOVAS Preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan-forced). Trace 8 x 10cm circles on two large sheets of baking paper.

Place sheets pencil side down on two large greased oven trays.

3 Combine caster sugar, brown sugar and cardamom in a bowl.

4 Whisk egg whites and a pinch of salt in an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, until meringue is firm and glossy. Add the cornflour and vinegar and whisk to combine. Spoon meringue evenly among circle templates. Use the back of a spoon to form peaks and swirls. Transfer meringues to oven and reduce oven to 120°C. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until crisp. Turn oven off, leaving the oven door slightly ajar, and leave pavlovas to cool completely.

5 CRANBERRY COULIS Place Craisins® and water in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil; remove from the heat. Cover; cool to room temperature. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add lime zest and lime juice and using a stick blender, blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve (see cooking tip).

6 CRAISINS® TOPPING Place Craisins®, lime juice, sugar and strawberries in a bowl and gently toss to combine. Set aside for

15 minutes to macerate. Add raspberries and gently toss to combine.

7 Place the vanilla yoghurt in a large bowl. Swirl through 1⁄3 cup coulis to create a rippled effect.

8 To serve, place berry topping, extra coulis, mango, passionfruit, pistachios, coconut flakes and mint in separate bowls. Fill pavlovas with yoghurt mixture and arrange on a large serving platter with toppings.

COOKING TIP: This recipe makes extra coulis than required. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week. Serve over ice-cream or drizzle over yoghurt and summer fruit for a quick dessert.

Brought to you by Ocean Spray®.