Zesty Mini Mango & Coconut Pavlovas with Tajin & Chamoy Drizzle
A bright, tangy and fruity dessert with a little warmth of chilli. Tajin is a chilli-lime seasoning that’s popular in Mexico. It adds a lovely zesty mild heat to the sweet meringue and mango. I’m making my own version with less salt, but use shop bought if preferred. Chamoy is a sweet, savoury and mildly spicy Mexican sauce made from tangy pickled fruit and chilli. If you can’t find any, try mixing 2 tbsp hot honey with 1 tbsp lime juice for a zesty drizzle.
Method
First make your Tajin. Spread the lime zest on a baking paper lined plate. Microwave for 30 second intervals until the zest is dry and brittle (alternatively bake in very low oven for 1 hr). Add the zest to a pestle and mortar and grind to a powder. Grind in the chilli powder, salt and sugar until well combined.
Preheat the oven to 140C/120Fan/Gas1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Place the egg whites in a large clean mixing bowl, add the salt and whisk until they form soft peaks. Whisk in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time to make stiff peaks of thick, glossy meringue. Add the cornflour and vinegar and whisk briefly until well combined. Gently fold in the coconut extract.
Drop 6 even sized spoonfuls of the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them well apart (use 2 trays if easier), and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon, making a small dip in the centre. Lightly sprinkle each with a small pinch of Tajin. Bake for 45 minutes or until crisp, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues inside to cool completely, this prevents them from cracking.
When the meringues have cooled, put the mango slices in a bowl and toss with the mint, a small squeeze of lime and a pinch of Tajin.
Whisk together the cream, mascarpone and icing sugar until holding soft peaks. Fold in the vanilla and zest.
Use the cream to fill the meringues and top with mango. Drizzle over a little Chamoy and scatter with coconut flakes. Garnish with mint leaves and serve immediately.
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites
- a small pinch of salt
- 175g caster sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour
- ½ tsp white wine vinegar
- ½ tsp good quality coconut extract
- 1-2 ripe mango, peeled, stoned and thinly sliced
- ½ lime, juice & zest
- 6 mint leaves, shredded plus extra small leaves to serve
- 150ml double cream
- 125g of mascarpone
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean extract or vanilla extract
- 2 tbs coconut flakes, lightly toasted
- chamoy sauce, to drizzle
- For the Tajin
- 3 limes, finely grated zest (or use 1-2 tsp lime powder)
- 1 tsp guajillo chilli powder
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp sugar