Phil's Spiced Christmas Meringue Parfait With Spiced Pears

Serves: 8 Cooking time: 7 minutes

Made with double cream, this parfait is still very indulgent, but without any added sugar (although there are natural sugars in the pears), so the post-Christmas guilt doesn’t have to be quite so bad!

The spiced pears themselves are super delicious and very festive, so if you are looking to be super healthy over the Christmas period, try them spooned over a low-fat Greek yoghurt.

Ingredients:

For the parfait:

  • 3 medium egg whites (100g) At room temperature (Red Lion stamped)
  • pinch of cream of tartar
  • 130g Total Sweet Xylitol
  • 4 level tsp mixed spice
  • 600ml double cream, lightly whipped

For the pears:

  • 3 level tbsp olive oil
  • 50g unsalted butter
  • 1 vanilla pod, or ½ tsp vanilla paste
  • 3 ripe pears, Phil uses Williams or Bartlett
  • 20g Total Sweet Xylitol

Method:

For the parfait: 

  1. Place the egg whites into a clean mixing bowl and add the cream of tartar.
  2. Place the whisk on the machine and whisk at high speed until thick and foamy, probably 1-2 minutes.
  3. Slow the machine down and sprinkle over the xylitol, then re-whisk for 3-4 minutes until thick and glossy.
  4. Add the mixed spice to the lightly whipped double cream and fold in.
  5. Add the finished meringue to the lightly whipped cream and gently fold it in.
  6. Spoon into a container or bowl, cover with cling film and freeze until firm, for the best consistency leave for about 6 hours. If left overnight, you may need to remove it from the freezer and pop it in the fridge for 1 hour to soften slightly before eating.
  7. When serving you may need to remove the parfait from the freezer 10 minutes before serving to soften it slightly.
  8. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop into balls or open curls and serve in bowls with the pears.

For the pears:

  1. Top and tail the pears.
  2. Peel carefully with a peeler or sharp paring knife.
  3. Cut each pear into quarters lengthways.
  4. Remove any stalk and core with a sharp knife, then cut each quarter in two, lengthways.
  5. Once pears are prepared you should have 24 pieces of pear.
  6. Heat the oil and butter until foaming, and then add the vanilla, pears and xylitol, and gently sauté for 3-4 minutes, maybe longer if the pears are not fully ripe.
  7. Turn the pears occasionally to coat them in the buttery juices. Do not overcook or the pears will become mushy.
  8. Once cooked, dish up three pieces of pear per person and serve warm with the parfait.
Back to Recipes