Pavlova with Macerated Oranges in Honey Bourbon & Vanilla Cream

I made this with my mum for New Year's Day dessert this year when I was in lockdown in Ireland. We made it with brandy originally so that works well if you have it. This is it revisited with Honey Bourbon. I must admit, I prefer the Honey Bourbon, it's less potent on the alcohol front.

I have to give credit to Matt Preston for the meringue base recipe. It's absolutely fool proof. I normally stick to the quantities he specifies but halved it this time for a smaller one.

I like to make the base the night before. You can leave the oven slightly ajar overnight but it's not a must if you are in a rush, just make sure you allow it to cool.

Serves 8

Pavlova Ingredients

3 eggs, whites and yolks separated

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

160g caster sugar

Macerated Oranges Ingredients

2 oranges, segmented

100ml bourbon

2 tbsp. maple syrup

Juice 1 orange

Vanilla Cream

350 ml cream, whipped

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tbsp. vanilla bean extract

Method

1. Heat the oven to 110 degrees Celsius. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. I don't have access to my normal kitchen and equipment so I just mixed this up in a large bowl with a hand held electric whisk. It does the job. Got a whisk in Kmart for $10, bargain. I digress. Put the egg whites, cream of tartar in a bowl. Make sure there are no remnants of grease on it. Beat until you have stiff peaks.

3. Very slowly, add some of the sugar and beat. I normally leave about 1-2 minutes before adding another spoon of sugar. Continue this process until all the sugar has been mixed in. Taste a spoon of it, if it's still grainy, keep beating. The surface should be shiny.

4. Once the pavlova mixture is done. Take a small spoon of the mixture and dot a little bit in places until on the baking tray under the paper. This helps hold the paper in place while you spread your base.

5. I take a large spoonful or two in the centre of the tray and start by bring it out into a decent size circle with a spatula or large flat knife. Do the same again but start building it up, particularly around the edges.

6. Bake in the oven for 1 hour 50 minutes. Keep an eye on it, if it is browning, turn down the oven by 10 or so degrees and cover with some baking paper.

7. Heat a frying pan and add the juice, maple syrup and bourbon. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the oranges and heat through. Allow to cool.

8. In a bowl, mix the whipped cream, vanilla paste and maple syrup together.

9. Once you pavlova has sufficiently cooled, dollop the cream in the middle and spread around evenly. Arrange the orange segments on top. You can garnish with a few mint leaves.