Recipe: Autumn Pavlova with Blackberry Curd and Earl Grey Poached Pears

Nothing says celebration quite like a pavlova: a crisp shell giving way to soft meringue, cream and something bright on top. This version feels especially right for autumn: a balance of sharp and sweet, dark and light.

Around the equinox, when the days and nights sit in perfect balance, I love recipes that echo that same sense of harmony: bright brambles meeting mellow pears, light meringue offset by rich, earthy flavour. This pavlova brings together blackberry curd, vanilla Chantilly cream and Earl Grey poached pears, a trio that feels indulgent but deeply rooted in the season.

You’ll need

• 3 free-range egg whites

• 175g caster sugar

• 1 tsp white wine vinegar

• 1 level tsp cornflour

• 1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries

• 40g caster sugar

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• 1 egg yolk

• 500ml water

• 200g sugar

• 3 pears, peeled with stalks intact

• 2 Earl Grey teabags

• 400ml double cream

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Icing sugar, to taste

method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan 140°C) and line a baking tray with parchment. If you like, draw a circle as a guide.

2. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Keeping the mixer running, gradually add the sugar a teaspoon at a time until glossy.

3. Combine the vinegar and cornflour, then fold gently into the meringue.

4. Spoon the mixture onto your tray, shaping into a circle and building up the edges to form a nest.

5. Bake for 1½–2 hours at 150°C (fan 130°C), until pale and crisp. Leave to cool completely in the oven.

6. Simmer the berries and sugar for five minutes until soft and juicy. Blend and strain to remove seeds. Whisk the cornflour and egg yolk together, then return everything to the pan. Cook gently, whisking until thickened. Transfer to a bowl, cover the surface with cling film, and chill.

7. Simmer the water, sugar, and teabags until the sugar dissolves. Remove the teabags and gently poach the pears for 10–12 minutes, until tender. Cool completely.

8. Whip the cream with vanilla and icing sugar until soft peaks form. Chop two pears and fold through the cream.

9. To assemble, spoon the Chantilly cream into the pavlova shell, swirling in spoonfuls of blackberry curd. Slice the remaining pear into a fan shape and place on top. Serve immediately; the contrast of crisp meringue, fragrant fruit and creamy filling is pure autumn comfort.

A Seasonal Note

This pavlova holds the essence of Mabon: a time of gratitude, harvest and balance. The last blackberries, the first pears, the deep warmth of tea: all reminders of the shift from light into dark. As the year begins to turn inward, this is a recipe for gathering, celebrating and savouring the sweetness of the season before winter begins.