Feast by Miguel Maestre
Miguel Maestre, chef and co-host of The Living Room, is passionate about creating dishes to share with the ones you love. We share his summertime pavlova recipe from his book Feast.
Photography: Jeremy Simons
Miguel’s food is a loving nod to his Spanish heritage, which is also firmly based in the modern Australian kitchen. Photo: Jeremy Simons
Miguel Maestre’s best ever pavlova with citrus pavlova - recipe below. Photo: Jeremy Simons
Miguel Maestre, popular chef and co-host of The Living Room, is passionate about making food for sharing.
In his recently released (and fourth) book, Feast, Miguel shares 100 new modern including brunches, pies, salads and big, satisfying dinners, along with smaller dishes to mix and match in classic share-plate style.
Miguel’s food is a loving nod to his Spanish heritage, which is also firmly based in the modern Australian kitchen. Think Spanish dishes such as papayas bravos, paella and churros, as well as mouth-watering cakes, biscuits and deserts.
Below we share a recipe from the book: best ever pavlova with citrus custard.
BEST-EVER PAVLOVA WITH CITRUS CUSTARD
I love pavlova because it’s a classic recipe with a great story behind it, born from the love of a chef for the Russian prima ballerina, Anna Pavlova. Visually it represents her white tutu, and texturally it is an homage to her strong personality hiding a soft heart inside. I always think about this beautiful story when I’m making it.
This is the perfect base recipe for pavlova. If you follow these steps you will never fail. I hate waste so I always use the leftover egg yolks for a custard to serve with the pavlova. You can top it with whatever fruit or nuts you like – it is a blank canvas.
You should always assemble a pavlova just before serving as it doesn’t travel well. Embrace the crunch and eat it all at once!
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS
6 eggs, at room temperature
375 g (1 2⁄3 cups) caster sugar
a few drops of lemon juice
1 tablespoon cornflour, sifted
fresh fruit, to decorate
CITRUS CUSTARD
340 ml milk
strips of rind from 1 lemon and the juice of 1/2 lemon
3 egg yolks (reserved from the meringue)
115 g (1/2 cup) caster sugar
25 g cornflour, sifted
15 g unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small cubes
CHANTILLY CREAM
300 ml thickened cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
1 and 1/2 tablespoons icing sugar mixture
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180°C (don’t use the fan) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Use an upturned bowl to draw a 22 cm circle on the paper.
Wipe a metal bowl with cotton wool or a clean cloth to ensure it is scrupulously clean and grease free – this is very important, otherwise the egg whites won’t whip properly.
Separate the eggs, reserving the yolks for the custard. Make sure there is no egg yolk in the whites.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a hand-held mixer, beat the egg whites on a medium setting until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating well between each addition to ensure the sugar has dissolved. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, turn the mixer up to high until the meringue has thickened to ribbon stage – when a spoonful poured back into the bowl sits on the surface like a ribbon.
Reduce the speed to medium, add the lemon juice and sprinkle in the cornflour, then continue to beat until the meringue is thick and glossy. Spoon it onto the prepared tray, keeping it inside the circle, and shape it quickly. Don’t mess with it too much as you want to get it in the oven pronto.
Place the tray in the middle of the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 110°C. Clean the mixer bowl and place in the fridge to cool.
Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the meringue has a hard crust but has not taken on any colour. You may see a little sugar syrup seep out of the bottom, which is fine, but the crust should be firm. Inside, it will be soft and marshmallowy. When it’s ready, turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside with door ajar to cool slowly. Don’t open the door fully or the pav will crack.
For the citrus custard, combine the milk and lemon rind in a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Just before it comes to the boil, turn off the heat and leave for 5 minutes. Strain, discarding the lemon rind.
Meanwhile, cream the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and fluffy. Add the warm milk and whisk to combine. Pour the custard back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly to stop it curdling. Do not let it boil. Once it starts to thicken, sprinkle in the cornflour and continue to stir until thick enough to hold its shape on top of the pavlova. Take the pan off the heat and add the butter, bit by bit, whisking until glossy and well combined. Stir in the lemon juice, then set aside to cool completely.
Once the pavlova has cooled to room temperature, make the chantilly cream. Pour the creaming the cooled mixer bowl and whip to soft peaks. Gradually add the vanilla seeds and icing sugar and beat to firm peaks, being careful not to over whip.
To assemble, transfer the cold meringue to a cake stand and decorate with custard, chantilly cream and seasonal fruit, or any of your favourite toppings.
