by Chris Hazelton, Head Chef at The Rookery, Carnoustie

This berry pavlova recipe uses local blackberries and blueberries, it’s a luxurious but light dish that gives the flavour of the berries a chance to shine. This method is for individual pavlovas, but you can easily make a big family sized dish that you can all get stuck in to. All you need to do is spread the meringue over a large, lined baking tray and increase the cooking time to 105 minutes. You can be as neat as you like, sometimes with a sharing plate, it’s nice to be a bit more rustic with your meringue!

For more information visit: www.therookerycarnoustie.com

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

For the meringue:

60g egg whites

90g caster sugar

For the custard:

40g caster sugar

60g egg yolk

250ml double cream

1 vanilla pod

For the berry compote:

100g blueberries

100g blackberries

50g caster sugar

100ml water

METHOD

1. As the meringue takes the most time to prepare, it’s best to do it first. Preheat the oven to 90°C. Add the egg whites to a bowl and whip to stiff peaks. Gradually incorporate all of the sugar

and continue whisking. The mix should take a silky, shiny appearance once the sugar has been incorporated. Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe it into nests on a lined baking tray. Bake for approximately 1hr 15mins.

2. While the meringues are baking, you can prepare the custard. To start, whip together the sugar and egg yolk. Put the cream and vanilla in a pan on the stove and bring them to the boil. Remove the pan and add half of the cream to the sugar and egg while whisking. Then add the remainder of the liquid to the mixture. Return the mixture to the stove on a low heat. Stir constantly until the mixture coats the back of the spoon.

3. Next, make the berry compote. Take 25g of each of the berries and bring to the boil in a pan with the sugar and water until the berries soften. Reduce the heat by half and then blitz. Whilst still warm add the remainder of the berries

to infuse.

4. To serve, allow all of the elements of the dish to cool and then pour the custard onto the base of the serving plate. Place the meringue nest on the custard. With the back of the spoon, tap a hole in the meringue, fill the hole with the berry compote.

5. Serve and enjoy.