Eunice Power - Rosewater and Pistachio Pavlova

This month Eunice shares the recipe for her sumptuous Rosewater and Pistachio Pavlova - the perfect summer party piece

Rose water and pistachio are two of my favourite ingredients – although baking with pistachio often ends in disappointment from a visual perspective, as the pistachios tend to darken to a dull brown losing their green vibrancy. So, in this recipe I have not cooked the pistachios in the Pavlova - instead I added them afterwards, with the help of glycerine. Both glycerine and rosewater are available from a pharmacy.

For the Pavlovas:

8 free range egg whites
500g caster sugar
4 tsp cornflour
2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp rosewater

To decorate:

100g pistachio nuts, chopped roughly
3 tablespoons of glycerine

Filling:

600ml cream, whipped until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed
100ml thick Greek style natural yoghurt
100g icing sugar
A tiny drop of red food colouring
5 tablespoons of rosewater

To finish:

30 crystallised rose petals
A tablespoon of icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Line a baking 3 sheets with baking parchment and draw 3 x 8inch diameter circles onto each one.

In a bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed, then whisk in the sugar, one tablespoonful at a time, until stiff peaks form when the whisk is removed.

Sprinkle the corn flour, vinegar and vanilla extract over the egg white, and fold in lightly with a metal spoon.

Spoon the meringue onto the baking parchment within the marked circles using a spatula to flatten the top and smooth the sides.

Place into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 120C/250F/Gas ½. Cook for an hour, then turn off the oven and leave to cool completely.

Once cool, remove the meringue bases from the oven (you can keep the meringue in an airtight container for a couple of days or store in the freezer for up to one month).

An hour before serving assemble the pavlova.

Brush the perimeter of the pavlova with glycerin and sprinkle the chopped pistachios on the outside of the pavlovas – the glycerin should make them stick on.

Fold cream, yoghurt, icing sugar and rosewater together. To assemble, place large circle of meringue on serving plate, top with half the cream, top with next circle and the remaining cream, followed by the top layer. Scatter with petals and dust with icing sugar.

Crystallised rose petals

30 pesticide-free red rose petals
1 egg white
70g caster sugar

Start with the rose petals. Set the oven to very low, about 70C. Use one hand to dip the petals gently in the egg white, shake off any excess, then use your other hand to scatter them with sugar. You want them well covered and without lumps.

Lay the petals on an oven tray lined with greaseproof paper and put in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until crisp, then remove. Some leaves will probably stick to the tray, so scrape them off gently as best you can. Don't worry if some tear - they will still be useful

Photography Harry Weir www.harryweir.com (image first appeared in Food&Wine Magazine)
Food Styling Leona Humphreys www.onefineplate.com

------------

More recipes from Eunice Power are available on www.eunicepower.com

Room reservations can be made on www.powersfield.com - hope to see you in Dungarvan during the year.

------------

Eunice Power is a professional chef with over twenty years experience in the hospitality business. She runs Powersfield House in Dungarvan County Waterford, which is our B&B of the Year for 2012 and also the winner of the Best B&B Breakfast. Her philosophy is to use fresh, seasonal, locally produced food, sourced organically where possible. 

Eunice has a successful outside catering company, writes about food (she is the author of an excellent cookery book written for local company Waterford Stanley) and teaches at Paul Flynn’s Tannery Cooking School, where her enthusiasm and zest for a life filled with good food are given free rein."