Pavlova with Dried Fruits

Ingredients:

• For the swiss meringue (make the day before):
• 100g egg whites
• 200g castor sugar

• For the mascarpone chantilly cream (make the day before):
• 300g whipping cream with 35% fat (50+250)
• 1/2 vanilla pod
• 50g castor sugar
• 3f gelatine sheets
• 150g mascarpone

• For the garnish:
• fresh fruit (peach, apple, pear, kiwi)
• dried fruit (peach, apple, pear, kiwi)
• 50g of fresh raspberries

Preparation:

• Swiss meringue:

1. Pour the egg whites in the stand mixer bowl and add the castor sugar;
2. Pour the egg whites in the stand mixer bowl;
3. Place the recipient over a bain-marie prepared in a saucepan. Whisk the preparation until hot. When touching the preparation with the tip of your finger, you should feel a stinging sensation due to the heat. Watch the intensity of the heat, as it could cause the egg whites to coagulate;
4. Place the recipient in the food mixer and beat until you obtain a meringue. Continue beating until the meringue is cold. The Swiss meringue is now ready;
5. Scoop some meringue into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle (diameter 12mm). On a Silpat baking sheet (40 x 30cm), pipe the meringue into a spiral, working from the centre outwards. The disk should have a diameter of 26-28cm;
6. On the edge of the meringue disk, pipe one circle of meringue. Pipe a second circle on top of the first one. Then pipe a third one, in order to obtain a sort of shallow basket and then, using a palette knife, smooth the outer surface of the edge;
7. Scoop some meringue into another piping bag, fitted with a fluted nozzle (17mm diameter), and pipe S-shapes decorations, next to each other;
8. Bake at 100°C for at least 3 hours, on a Silichef perforated baking sheet. Ideally, the meringue should be prepared the day before. When cooked, turn the oven off and leave the meringue overnight to cool in the oven.

• For the mascarpone chantilly cream:

1. Soak the gelatine sheets in a bowl filled with cold water;
2. In a saucepan, place 100 grams of whipping cream, castor sugar and seeds from the vanilla pod (scraped with the tip of a knife beforehand). Combine with a whisk and bring to a boil;
3. When the gelatine sheets are soft, take them out and drain;
4. When the cream starts boiling, add the soft gelatine sheets and gently whisk until the gelatine is completely dissolved. Set aside;
5. Mix the mascarpone with 200 grams of whipping cream and combine well with a whisk;
6. Add the cream and gelatine preparation and mix using a hand mixer;
7. Cover the bowl with cling film and refrigerate overnight.

• The following day:

1. Pour the cream (it should be slightly jellified) into the stand mixer recipient and beat it on high speed for a few minutes, until you obtain the desired consistency;
2. Take the baked swiss meringue out of the oven and fill the bottom with mascarpone Chantilly cream. Do not fill completely up to the top;
3. Cut the fresh fruits and arrange them on top the chantilly cream, digging them a little;
4. Using a piping bag fitted with a Saint-Honoré nozzle (Ø 14mm), pipe U-shaped decorations on top of the meringue circle;
5. Pipe the remaining Chantilly cream over the fresh fruits and even the surface with a cranked spatula, taking precautions not to damage the edge;
6. Along the edge, arrange fresh raspberries in a row;
7. In the centre, arrange the dehydrated fruits, starting with apple slices placed vertically;

8. Arrange the other dried fruits creating a harmonious decoration. Reserve in the fridge until ready to serve.