Recipe: Aviation Creation

This little baking fun happened before I created the Baileys Pavlova. In fact, the idea has been sitting there for a little while.

Luxardo were generous enough to send me a jar of Maraschino cherries. I love cherries, they’re a definite weakness of mine and are present in some of my favourite cocktails –  the Manhattan, the Rob Roy and the Aviation.

And it’s the latter that gave me inspiration. Would an Aviation – that delicious blend of gin, violet and lemon – work in a dessert? I knew it would be sweeter than the cocktail, it would have to be, but was it workable?

Actually, it is. And it’s damned fine too, even if I do say so myself. Because of the rich sweetness of the meringue, I kept the cream sharp and gin filled, adding no extra sugar, and I used the gin created for the Aviation cocktail, Aviation gin.

They’re the perfect foil for each other.

Aviation Pavlova

Ingredients

250g caster sugar

1tsp violet extract

(or blend Parma Violets to an icing sugar consistency and use 2tbsp)

4 egg whites

1 pinch of salt

2tsp cornflour

1tsp white wine vinegar

300ml double cream

1 small lemon (zest and juice)

50 ml Aviation Gin

30g Maraschino cherries, chopped in half

Cherry syrup for drizzling

Method

Put the oven on to preheat – Gas Mark 4/180ºC.

Take two sheets of baking parchment and draw a circles on them, or square if that’s your preference, I used a 15cm cake tin.

Put the egg whites in a bowl with a pinch of salt and beat into stiff peaks.

Then add half the sugar and beat, before adding the second half and the violet extract or Parma Violet ‘sugar’ and mixing until completely combined.

Discard the whisk and reach for a clean metal spoon. Sift over the cornflour, add the vinegar and gently fold.

Divide the mixture into two and spread the meringue mixture onto the parchment.

Pop into the oven, which you should turn down to Gas Mark 3/150ºC and leave to bake for 1 hour. Resist opening the door/poking it. Once the hour has passed, switch off the oven and leave the meringue to cool.

In the meantime, beat the double cream until it’s lightly whipped and add the gin and lemon juice/zest. Combine gently until the cream is a good thick whipped consistency. Please don’t overbeat this, as the lemon will curdle the cream and you’ll end up with cheese!

Once the meringue is cool, place one disc onto a plate and gently peel off the parchment. Top with the lemon and gin cream.

Add the cherries, dotted around ontop of the cream

Top with the second disc and gently drizzle a litte of the syrup over the top.

Eat at will.

This is one of my favourite recipes and, even given his lack of enthusiasm for gin, Mr GFB loved this. I suspect I’ll have to make it again…!

With thanks to Luxardo for the cherries, and again to to Stretford Sip Club for helping me with the consumption of the pavlova.