BRONTE PISTACHIO PAVLOVA WITH KUMQUAT COMPOTE AND LEMON CURD WITH FREDRIKA ÅSTRÖM

After spending a number of years in Stockholm, Fredrika sought a simpler life, away from the city’s hustle. This led her to Talldungen, where she now embraces the quiet of the countryside. The restaurant’s four-course spisarmeny (family-style menu) often draws inspiration from the flavours of southern Europe. “The food we cook is simple, generous and hearty,” she explains, with ingredients sourced from small-scale farmers who “care for the soil and the animals”.

When it comes to dessert, Fredrika tells us that there's nearly always a meringue-based option on the menu, with this particular recipe being a small tribute to Fabrizia Lanza and the team behind Anna Tasca Lanza in Sicily – a cookery school sharing the joy of traditional Sicilian cuisine. “I spent some time there last winter during peak citrus season, which was lovely,” she recounts. To really bring this recipe to life, Fredrika notes that it calls for high quality citrus and some nice pistachios, too, preferably from the volcanic slopes of Mount Etna, where the seeds are known for their intense flavour and grassy aroma.

BRONTE PISTACHIO PAVLOVA WITH KUMQUAT COMPOTE AND LEMON CURD

INGREDIENTS

Lemon curd

125g lemon juice, plus zest
85g egg yolk
60g sugar
50g unsalted butter

Pistachio meringue

60g bronte pistachios, finely chopped
200g egg white
400g caster sugar

Kumquat compote

600g Kumquats, sliced
400g water
200g caster sugar*

To finish

300ml whipping or double cream

*Fredrika says: The amount of sugar required for this compote depends on how sweet the fruit is. Have a taste of the kumquats first, then decide how sweet you’d like it to be.

METHOD

For the lemon curd:

1. Whisk together the lemon juice, zest, egg yolk and sugar in a saucepan on medium-low heat.
2. Stir continuously with a spatula until it thickens. You’ll know it’s ready once the mixture sticks to the spatula and you can draw a finger through and it holds its shape.
3. Pour the lemon curd through a strainer and mix in the unsalted butter.
4. Cover it and leave it to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours before using.

For the meringue:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C.
2. Roast the bronte pistachios for approximately 7 minutes.
3. Once cool, finely chop the pistachios.
4. Whisk egg white and sugar over a bain-marie until the meringue reaches 55°C and the sugar has dissolved.
5. Continue to whisk until soft peaks form.
6. Scoop out the mixture onto a baking tray – creating small nests with caves in the centre of each meringue. This will form the outer shell that will later hold the lemon curd and citrus.
7. Sprinkle over the chopped pistachios.
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 110°C until the inside of the meringue achieves a chewy, sticky consistency.

While the meringue bakes:

1. Boil the kumquats in water until reduced to half of the water content.
2. Add the sugar and boil until desired texture (for this recipe, Fredrika prefers a liquidy consistency).
3. Set aside to cool.

To finish:

1. Once baked and cooled, fill the meringue nests with the kumquat compote, using a spoon to carefully mound the sweet-tart mixture into the middle, allowing it to spill gently over the edges for an extra burst of flavour.
2. Layer the meringues and add a dollop of whipped cream on top.
3. To finish, drizzle over the lemon curd, creating a rich and generous – rather than a perfectly plated – dessert.