Pavlova Mess with Mascarpone & Pears 'Belle Hélene'

• Produce

  • 4 Pears, small

• Refrigerated

  • 2 Egg whites, very fresh
  • 1 The 2 yolks leftover from the merengue

• Condiments

  • 1 tbsp Honey or maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp Pear poaching syrup
  • 1 tsp White wine vinegar or lemon juice

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 1-inch piece Cinnamon
  • 1 Cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp Corn or potato starch
  • 100 g Granulated sugar
  • 50 g Muscovado sugar, brown
  • 1/2 Vanilla pod

• Oils & Vinegars

  • 1 tsp Coconut oil

• Nuts & Seeds

  • 1 Pistachios

• Dairy

  • 1 cup Heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese

• Liquids

  • 2 cups Water

• Other

  • 5 6 squares quality extra dark chocolate

Found on hortuscuisine.com

Description

Ingredients

• 2 very fresh egg whites
• 100 to 130 g granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon corn or potato starch
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice
• 4 small pears
• 50 g brown Muscovado sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• Half a vanilla pod, split
• A 1-inch piece of cinnamon
• Extra spices: 2 star anise, 3 crushed green cardamom pods
• 2 cups / 500 ml water
• 5-6 squares quality extra dark chocolate
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons leftover pear poaching syrup
• 1 cup / 250 ml heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup Mascarpone cheese
• The 2 yolks leftover from the merengue
• Crushed pistachios
• Cocoa powder

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 120 C˚ / 250 F˚.
• To make the merengue, make sure you have all the ingredients ready and that your egg whites are at room temperature.
• Start beating the whites for a minute, or until they turn frothy. From there, add the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue until the merengue forms stiff peaks - you might not need all the sugar, but the more you add, the more stable it will be.
• Add tablespoonfuls of merengue to a baking sheet lined with baking paper, and bake until fully dry, about an hour to one hour and a half. Let them cool completely in the oven.
• I found that they crisped up perfectly after I let them rest for a whole day.
• Peel the pears, cut them in half, and core them. Keep four halves whole and slice the rest.
• In a pot, bring the water to a boil and add the sugar and spices. Let the sugar dissolve, and add the pears. Poach for 3 to 5 minutes, then remove. Keep the liquid boiling until reduced by at least half.
• Add all the ingredients to a small pot and melt, or melt in the microwave by heating for 5-10 seconds and stirring, and repeating if necessary.
• While you can prepare all of the above a day in advance, assemble everything last minute.
• In a bowl, whip the egg yolks with the mascarpone until fluffy, about 2 minutes. In another bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the cream into the mascarpone.
• *If you do not want to use the raw egg yolks, just forgo them and whip the mascarpone before adding i the whipped cream.*
• Prepare 4 glasses and crumble some of the merengue on each, and some in the mascarpone cream, folding it in delicately. Layer some pear slices in each glass. Divide the mascarpone cream among the glasses, top each with half a poached pear, dust with cocoa powder and drizzle with chocolate sauce. You can chill this for an hour, or serve straight away.