Christmas is mere days away, and as a wannabe Martha Stewart/Chrissy Teigen, I am desperate for a dish that is as Instagrammable as it is tasty. And boy, oh boy, have I found it.
Enter: pavlova grazing board.
Cheese boards are obviously a Christmas staple, but why stop at a savoury platter when you can impress your family with a sweet one too?
It can be a tough gig when you move out of home and you have to start convincing your extended family that you’re a fully-fledged adult. But that’s where this glorious idea comes in because you can literally grab the supplies from Coles or Woolies, plate it up like a master chef and Bob’s your uncle, you’ve tricked everyone into thinking you’re a baking queen.
Although pavlova is a classic Christmas dessert, I strongly believe you should save this idea for your next dinner party, Bachie watch party or any time you’ve gotta pretend you’re straight out of the Real Housewives.
Not to mention, if you’re like me and you hate, hate, hate most fruits when it comes to dessert, this is the pavlova solution for you.
Not only does it make for an adorable Insta shot, but it also caters to every kind of pav-lover in your life.
Maybe you want to load it up with every fruit but your sister only wants some straweberries and a drizzle of caramel? Well, por queno los dos?
The idea was initially shared on Facebook by Canberra-based baker Shalini of Swish Biscuits.
“We had an early family Christmas today and I had to share my dessert idea – a pavlova grazing board,” she captioned the photo. “Everyone gets to make their own custom pavs just the way they like it.”
If you’re not a Martha Stewart, you could absolutely fool your family (or your partner’s family/friends/coworkers) into thinking you’re a master baker by snagging some mini meringues from the super market and plating them up with a series of delicious toppings.
For those of you feeling a little more daring, Shalini posted her pav recipe on Facebook for you to try at home.
Once you’ve got the basic meringue sorted, you just need to load up the platter with various fruits, sweets and sauces and whip up some cream.
Potential toppings:
- Fruits: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, melon, passionfruit
- Sauces: Nutella, lemon curd, passionfruit pulp, caramel
- Extras: shredded coconut, chocolate shards, M&Ms, nuts, fresh mint
Who doesn’t love a Christmas baking hack that makes you look like a master chef?
As an expert at pretending to be an adult, this pavlova is about to be my new party staple. Gone are the days of bringing a Coles mudcake to the party and having to admit that you’re either lazy, too busy or frankly shit at baking.
You’re welcome
