Me:Mo Cooks… It’s Christmas!

It’s finally that time of year when the fridges are well stocked and the best Christmas recipes come out… Christmas! December is well and truly a month of indulgence for all, the paring of cold winter weather and ongoing festivities call for continuous eating, drinking and all-around celebrations.

You might have found yourself slightly flustered, scrambling to get all ready for the big day (we know we have!) Ticking off your long to-do list, wrapping – check, turkey – check, dessert… Oops!

To make life a little easier this year we’re bringing you this delicious make-ahead Christmas showstopper… Cranberry pavlova with sorbet from Delicious, it’s packed with fresh fruit, cream and all of the good stuff (rosè) – perfect to cut through those rich Christmas flavours. Now it might sound intimidating, but rest assured this is one of the best Christmas recipes around, and will undoubtedly have your loved ones smiling around the dinner table.

(Serves 12-14)

Ingredients:

250g pasteurised egg whites  – about 8 egg whites

440g caster sugar

1½ tsp cornflour

1 tsp white wine vinegar

2 oranges, skin sliced off and flesh sliced into rounds (reserve any juice for the sorbet)

For the cranberry & Rosè sorbet:

250g cranberries (fresh or frozen)

150g caster sugar

Juice 1 large orange

125ml rosé wine

37.5g pasteurised egg whites or 1 egg white, whisked until frothy

To serve:

600ml double cream, whipped with a splash of vanilla extract

6 tbsp cranberry sauce

Method

1. Make the cranberry sorbet: put the cranberries, sugar, orange juice and 250ml water in a pan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 3-4 minutes until the berries begin to release their juice. Set aside to cool, then whizz with a stick blender or transfer to a blender and purée. Push the mixture through a wire mesh sieve into a freezer-proof, lidded container. Stir in the rosé, then freeze for 3-4 hours.
2. Remove the sorbet from the freezer and whizz with a stick blender (or electric hand mixer) to break up the ice crystals. Freeze again until semi-solid, then whizz and freeze once more. Once the sorbet has set solid, take it out of the freezer and let it soften enough to break it up with a spoon. Whizz again, this time incorporating the frothy egg white – it will become much smoother in texture and look almost creamy. Put back in the freezer until set firm or you’re ready to serve.
3. Heat the oven to 180°C fan/ gas 6. Grease 2 baking trays, then draw an 18cm diameter circle on 2 sheets of baking paper, flip so the outline is on the underside and use it to line the baking trays.
4. For the pavlova, whisk the egg whites with an electric mixer on a low speed until frothy, then increase the speed and whip to soft peaks. Add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking after each addition. Whisk in the cornflour and vinegar. Put the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure it doesn’t touch the water, then whisk 8-10 minutes more until thick and glossy.
5. Divide the meringue evenly between the 2 prepared trays using the drawn circles as a guide. Using a palette knife, smooth the sides and the top of the meringues.
6. Turn the oven to 110ºC fan/gas ¾, then bake the meringues for 1½ hours, swapping the trays halfway through the cooking time to ensure even baking. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool in the oven for at least 4 hours or overnight until cooled completely.
7. To assemble, put one meringue on a serving platter. Top with half the whipped cream, then the second meringue. Add more cream, then arrange the orange slices and scoops of sorbet on top. Stir a splash of water into the cranberry sauce and drizzle it over to serve.

If this doesn’t have you smiling then we don’t know what will – for more of the best Christmas recipes check out our blog page! And of course… we’re wishing you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year!