Apricot & Pistachio Pavlova

I loooooooooooove pavlovas. It's not a well known pudding in Switzerland and I've tried pavlova in England for the first time. I asked for the recipe and I used it a couple of times with great success in Switzerland. However, since I came across the apricot and pistachio pavlova recipe posted here, I always use this recipe. I like the addition of the pistachios, and the green nuts look great together with the apricots. But it's not only the pistachios which make this recipe special, but also the apricot purée served with the pavlova. Fill it in a little jug and ask your guests to help themselves! This is also lovely with strawberries instead of the apricots and actually when I did this for the first time, I used strawberries and was asked for the recipe :) You may substitute the vanilla extract with vanilla sugar and add it with the sugar (that's what I usually do). You will have to add 2tsp of water to the cornflour in that case. Preparation time is estimated.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 5 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1  teaspoon  oil
• 2  teaspoons cornflour
• 2  teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2  teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 5  large  egg whites
• 300  g  golden caster sugar (10oz)
• 50  g pistachio nuts, shelled and roughly chopped (2oz)
• 650  g fresh apricots (1lb7oz)
• 3  tablespoons Cointreau liqueur or 3  tablespoons  other  orange-flavored liqueur
• 4  tablespoons icing sugar (to taste)
• 500 -568  ml  whipping cream (depending on the size of container cream is sold in your country)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to fan 120C / conventional 140C / gas 1.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a circle (diameter = 23cm).
3. Brush circle with a thin film of oil.
4. In a small bowl, blend the cornflour, vanilla extract and vinegar to a smooth paste.
5. In a separate clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff (you may add a pinch of salt to speed the process up).
6. Gradually whisk in the sugar a little at a time.
7. Then whisk in the cornflour paste until well combined.
8. Spoon the mixture onto the parchment paper, then spread it onto the drawn circle.
9. Swirl the edges with the back of the spoon to give lovely soft folds and peaks.
10. Scatter half the pistachios over the meringue and bake for 1 hour, by which time it will feel crisp if you tap it.
11. Turn off the oven, but leave the Pavlova inside to cool, with the oven door open.
12. Set aside 450g (1lb) of the apricots and roughly chop the rest, discarding stones.
13. Purée the chopped apricots, then push them through a sieve with a metal spoon.
14. Stir in the liqueur and sweeten with 3tbsp icing sugar, or enough to sweeten as you like it.
15. Lightly whip the cream so it's soft and billowy, then spoon over the the pavlova. Cut the reserved 450g (1lb) apricots in half, discard stones, then cut into wedges.
16. Scatter over the whipped cream along with the remaining pistachios. Dust with remaining icing sugar and serve with the apricot purée.