Grilled peach and pistachio pavlova with lavender honey

Name: Grilled peach and pistachio pavlova with lavender honey
Ingredients: 6 units.items Large eggs; A generous handful of shelled, roasted, and unsalted pistachios; 360 g light brown caster sugar; 1 Lavender honey; 3 units.items Ripe peaches; 1 Sunflower oil; 200 g Whipped cream or double cream; 200 g Greek style yogurt; 3 Lavender honey; 1 Dried lavender buds, crumbled

Recipe by Amy Newsome from her book Honey with photography by Kim Lightbody. This recipe serves 6 people.

“The flavor of this pavlova is inspired by a delicious summer breakfast, with swallows darting through the garden – peach, honey, and Greek-style yogurt, sprinkled with pistachios, with the bright pink skins reminiscent of rose petals. You can also stick to just rose water and petals, but here I add some lavender to the mix. I always love nuts in meringue; they provide a nice balance with the sweet foam, making the whole absolutely irresistible. These meringues go perfectly with fresh, juicy fruit, smooth, rich chocolate, and lightly whipped cream.”

Ingredients

6units.itemsLarge eggs

A generous handful of shelled, roasted, and unsalted pistachios

360glight brown caster sugar

1Lavender honey

3units.itemsRipe peaches

1Sunflower oil

200gWhipped cream or double cream

200gGreek style yogurt

3Lavender honey

1Dried lavender buds, crumbled

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and prepare the electric mixer.
Roughly chop half of the pistachios and finely chop the other half.
Spread the sugar on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and place it in the oven for 8 minutes, until the edges start to melt.
Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until bubbles form but not yet foamy, and have the honey ready.
Remove the sugar from the oven and lower the temperature to 160°C.
Drizzle the honey over the sugar and warm for one minute.
Beat 2 tablespoons of sugar and honey at a time into the egg whites, stop beating when the egg whites are glossy and stiff peaks form.
Sprinkle in half of the roughly and finely chopped pistachios. The nuts will mix in as you pour the mixture onto the baking tray and shape it.
If making a large pavlova, use a spatula to scoop the mixture onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper and spread it to the desired size with as few movements as possible. If making individual pavlovas, carefully scoop the mixture into mounds on the tray (or trays) with a large serving spoon.
Place the tray (or trays) in the oven, immediately lower the temperature to 120°C, and bake for about 1-2 hours depending on size, or until the outside is hard.
Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar, and let them cool in the oven.

While the pavlova is cooling, halve the peaches, remove the pits, and heat a grill pan over medium heat.
Lightly brush the pan with oil to prevent the fruit from sticking, grill them briefly on both sides until just seared, and place them on a plate to cool slightly.
Remove the meringue from the oven.
Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then fold in the yogurt to make a spreadable mixture.
Stir in 1.5 tablespoons of the honey and refrigerate the cream until the meringue is completely cooled.
Spoon the yogurt cream onto the meringue, place the fruit alongside, and drizzle the remaining honey over it.
Garnish with the remaining pistachios and lavender tops, and serve.