The newest season of MasterChef Australia has finally arrived on our screens – and things are already heating up in the kitchen.
On Tuesday night’s episode, we saw an amazing Grapefruit Pavlova created by the Burgundy Team as part of the season’s first service challenge. Made in part with a Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL Stand Mixer, this dessert recipe turned out perfectly.
Read on below for the full Grapefruit Pavlova recipe – and bring this MasterChef Australia dessert to life in your own home!
Ingredients
Australian Meringue
• 300g caster sugar
• 150g egg whites
• 10g cornflour
Chantilly Cream
• 300ml thickened cream
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbs icing sugar, sifted
Grapefruit Aperol Caramel
• 115g caster sugar
• 25g water
• 25ml Aperol
• ½ grapefruit, juiced (50ml) and rind
• 50ml cream
Grapefruit Curd
• 5 egg yolks
• 250ml milk
• 100g sugar
• 50g cornflour
• 3 grapefruit, juice (150g) and rind
• 100g unsalted butter, diced
Cucumber Salsa
• 1 pink grapefruit, segmented and diced
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, seeds removed and finely diced
• 1 tbsp mint, finely sliced
• 1 finger lime ‘caviar’
Aperol Syrup
• 100ml lime juice
• 180g sugar syrup
• 50ml Aperol
Plus grapefruit and lime zest to garnish.
Method
1. Preheat oven to 110°C. Line a standard baking tray with a silpat mat.
2. For the Australian Meringue, beat egg whites in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment until soft peaks start to form. Start adding caster sugar 2 tablespoons at a time until fully incorporated. Fold in cornstarch. Meringues should be glossy and stiff.
3. Pipe onto a silicon mat, evenly spacing apart and bake in the oven for 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
4. For the Chantilly Cream, in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, combine the thickened cream with sifted icing sugar and vanilla. Whip until light and airy. Cover in cling film and set aside in fridge. Place into a piping bag
5. For the Grapefruit Aperol Caramel, pour sugar into saucepan with water. Bring to a boil and cook until deep golden brown. Remove from the heat, whisk in Aperol, grapefruit juice and zest with cream. Pour into a shallow baking tray and over with cling wrap. Put in the fridge to chill. Pour into squeeze bottle before serving.
6. For the Grapefruit Curd, combine egg yolks, milk, sugar, cornflour, grapefruit juice and rind into a double boiler. Bring water to the boil and cook until thickened, whisking continuously.
7. Remove from heat and whisk in butter gradually until emulsified. Transfer to a blender, blend in butter, 50g at a time, until smooth. Pour into a baking tray and cover with cling wrap. Place in freezer for 15 minutes until cold but not frozen. Whip in stand mixer until light and creamy. Thin out with grapefruit juice if needed. Pour into piping bag and set aside in the fridge.
8. For the Cucumber Salsa, combine all the ingredients together and leave aside.
9. For the Aperol Syrup, combine ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved. Place in a jug to serve.
10. To assemble, remove top off each meringue and spoon out a small amount of meringue. Pipe curd into the cavity and squeeze a small amount of caramel on top of the curd. Add 1-2 tablespoons of cream on top of the curd. Pipe three dollops of cream on one side of the meringue top. Arrange cucumber salsa over the meringue and garnish with grapefruit and lime zest. Serve with Aperol syrup.
More MasterChef Recipes
Looking to create some more great MasterChef recipes at home? Discover classic dishes from past MasterChef seasons here!