christmas pudding

Pavlova is a Great British classic, and although we usually associate it with summer days and strawberries, it’s a really versatile dessert which can be adapted for any time of year simply by changing up the seasonal fruit toppings. I love this variety as the fresh winter citrus and spiced mascarpone combined with a pop of pomegranate makes for a fresh alternative to a heavy Christmas pudding; perfect after a mammoth Turkey feast.

Ingredients

For the meringue

6 large egg whites
300g golden caster sugar
75g dark brown soft sugar
1tsp white wine vinegar
1tsp corn flour

For the toppings

400ml double cream
200g mascarpone
4or 5 clementines, zest and flesh
1 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1tsp ground cinnamon
3-4tbsp icing sugar
100g dark chocolate
100g pomegranate seeds
75g pistachios, roughly chopped
5-6 figs, sliced (optional)
Thyme and rosemary, to garnish (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160c. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.
2. Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment. Whisk to medium peaks and start adding the sugar, a spoonful at a time. Once all the sugar (both brown and caster) has been added whisk until stiff peaks form and you’ve got a glossy, non-granular meringue. Stir the corn flour and white wine vinegar together in a small cup and mix into the meringue.
3. Pile the meringue onto the prepared baking tray and roughly spread into a 30x20cm rectangle. I think the more wild and asymmetric the better. Place the tray in the oven and reduce the temperature to 120c immediately. Cook for 1 hour or until the outside is crisp, then turn the oven off and leave to cool in there for at least an hour (this prevents the meringue cracking too much which can happen when the temperature suddenly changes).
4. Once cooled, set aside and prepare the toppings. For the cream, whisk together the mascarpone, cream, clementine zest, ground cardamom, ground cinnamon and icing sugar.
5. Meanwhile melt the dark chocolate gently in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Slice the clementine flesh into rounds.
6. To assemble the pavlova pile the cream onto the meringue, then arrange the clementine pieces and figs (if using) on top. Drizzle over the dark chocolate then sprinkle on pomegranate seeds and chopped pistachios. Finish with sprigs of rosemary and thyme, if using.

This striking but deeply comforting dessert is perfect for Christmas if you’re after something a little bit different to your bog standard figgy pudding; it’s essentially a twist on the nostalgic sticky toffee pud, but is lifted with ginger, cinnamon, black pepper and orange then drenched in a sauce which I’ve infused with classic chai spices (black peppercorn, cardamom, cinnamon, anise, cloves and fennel seeds). I’m going to be serving this up on Christmas day with vanilla ice cream (though it would be amazing with a rose or pistachio variety!).

Ingredients

225g butter
225g soft dark brown sugar
70g black treacle
135g golden syrup
200g pitted dates, roughly chopped
200ml boiling water
100ml milk
350g plain flour
2tsp bicarbonate of soda
2tsp ground ginger
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
zest 1 orange
2 eggs

For the sauce

100g dark brown sugar
75g butter
50ml maple syrup
125ml double cream
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 cloves
1/2tsp mixed spice
5 black peppercorns
pinch fennel seeds
4 green cardamom pods, cracked
pinch sea salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 170c. Grease your bundt tin generously with butter then coat with plain flour, tipping out any excess.
Before starting on the pudding mix, infuse the cream for the toffee sauce. To do this pour the cream into a small saucepan and add the cinnamon stick, star anise, cloves, mixed spice, peppercorns, fennel seeds and cardamom pods. Heat gently until just boiling then set aside until required.
Place the dates in a small bowl then pour over the boiling water. While the dates are soaking, melt the butter, sugar, treacle and syrup in a large saucepan. Once the contents of the pan have melted add the milk, orange zest, soaked dates and water. Stir together until well combined. Set aside to cool a little.
Sift the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle and break in the eggs. Briefly mix the eggs to break them up then gradually add the contents of the saucepan. Stir together with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth, lump-free batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin (ensuring that you leave a 1.5 inch gap at the top of the tin for rising) and bake for 40-50 minutes (or until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs attached when inserted).
While the pudding is cooking, finish the sauce. To do this simply place the sugar, butter and maple in a small saucepan and melt together until gently bubbling, then remove from the heat and strain in the flavoured cream and salt.
Serve the pudding warm with a generous helping of sauce and vanilla ice cream.