This is not just any pavlova this is a Smith pavlova, plus its the only photo I took of our last dinner with Saskia, my niece, and Patrick, her boyfriend, before they flew home this morning. I do believe they might have taken a couple of pics if I ever get them I will add them.

To whet your appetite. For starters we had a pear, walnut and rocket salad with vine tomatoes roasted in olive oil and a raspberry and balsamic dressing served with a baked camembert, salted padron peppers, grilled asparagus, cured ham with majool dates and warm crusty bread.

For mains I made my signature Paella, a totally non traditional mixta of chicken and spicy chorizo, squid, prawns, red peppers and onions with a pescado stock and decorated with baby scallops, languistines, mussels and lemon wedges.

Before any purists kick off, I have eaten paella up and down Spain and in Catalunya (where it is not a traditional dish, that is fideu and a whole other story) and believe me they chuck all sorts in it, I even found hot dog sausages in one!

And so to the dessert. A soft sticky centred brown sugar pavlova with a goats cheese and mascarpone cream, topped with honeyed caramelised figs with rosemary and a sharp raspberry coulis, drizzled with dark chocolate and finished with a sprinkling of dried rose petals. Its an easy recipe to make but if you don’t want it to take all day I would make the pavlova meringue the day before and fill on the day you serve it, meringue goes soggy if it sits with fruit juices too long. Recipe below.

We toasted the week with cava and strawberry liquer and a nice bottle of red and then all collapsed on the sofa with a nice cup of tea before tootling off to bed stuffed to the gills. If nothing else the visitors went home full today and with a pack up of left over paella!

Brown Sugar Pavlova with Caramelised Figs

Ingredients

For the Pavlova

250g caster sugar

50g brown sugar

whites of 4 large eggs

teaspoon of vinegar

teaspoon of cornflour

teaspoon of vanilla essence

For the cream

200ml whipping cream

200ml mascarpone

100g crumbly goats cheese

For the topping

A dozen ripe figs

A small tub of raspberries

Honey

Dark chocolate

Rosemary sprig tips

Dried confectioners rose petals (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150C. Using an electric hand whisk, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, add the caster sugar one desert spoon at a time until all combined, add the brown sugar in the same way, whisk in a teaspoon of vinegar, a teaspoon of cornflour and the teaspoon of vanilla essence.
2. Form into an 8inch circle on greaseproof paper raising the sides so that the centre can contain the fillings. I made mine into a smaller circle and raised the sides quite high. Place in the centre of the oven and bake for 30mins. Then turn off the oven and allow to cool. Do not remove from the oven until it is completely cold to prevent cracking and to ensure the meringue dries out sufficiently. Once completely cooled place on a serving plate.
3. Cut the figs in half sprinkle with a little brown sugar and bake for 30/40 mins or until tender, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with the rosemary sprigs for the last ten minutes.
4. In a pan add a drizzle of honey to the raspberries and a spoonful of water and boil until reduced to a sauce consistency, the flavour should be sharp not too sweet.
5. Whisk the cream until thickened add the mascarpone and crumble in the goats cheese and blend until smooth.
6. Now assemble. Fill the pavlova with the cream mixture and top with the figs and pour the raspberry sauce over, melt the dark chocolate and using a spoon drizzle so it drips down the side and sprinkle liberally with rose petals.