Pistachio and rose petal pavlova wreath

Recipes from Better Homes and Gardens & New Idea

Keep up the Christmas colours with snowy white meringues, rich red strawberries and raspberries, and a scattering of edible rose petals.

Ingredients

6 free-range egg whites

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 1⁄2 cups caster sugar

1 Tbsp corn our

1 tsp white vinegar

2 Tbsp slivered pistachios, finely chopped, plus extra, to garnish

1 Tbsp dried rose petals, plus extra, to garnish

1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed

2 Tbsp icing sugar mixture

500ml thickened cream

2 tsp vanilla bean extract

125g fresh raspberries

250g strawberries, quartered

Preheat oven to 140°C. Line 2 large oven trays with baking paper. Put egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high, using whisk attachment, until just foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat for a further 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add sugar, 1 Tbsp at a time, whisking to incorporate. Whisk for a further 5 minutes or until thick and glossy.

Add cornflour and vinegar, whisking until combined.
Spoon 8 mounds of egg white mixture onto prepared trays, using back of a large spoon to make a slight indent in centre and create decorative peaks. Scatter with pistachios and rose petals then bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 110°C and cook for a fur ther 1 hour. Turn off oven and allow meringues to cool completely, with oven door ajar.
Put thawed raspberries and icing sugar in a blender and puree until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug, discarding solids. Cover sauce and refrigerate.
Transfer meringues to a large serving platter. Put cream and vanilla in a large bowl and beat, using an electric hand mixer, until soft peaks form. Spoon a generous dollop of cream on top of each meringue. Put remaining in a serving bowl.
Scatter fruit over meringues and drizzle with raspberry sauce. Serve garnished with extra pistachios and rose petals and remaining raspberry sauce and cream on the side.