Winter pavlova.

Having expended all my imagination on the pickles, I defaulted to a pavlova for Christmas Eve pudding.

I had already made a sticky caramel flavoured with star anise and cinnamon; and made chocolate flowers with the aid of a piping bag and a silicon baking mat. A missed opportunity in not piping Christmas trees or snowmen - note for next year!

I used the egg whites left over from the mayonnaise to make meringues, using the standard ratios of 50g of caster sugar per egg white, with a pinch of cream of tartar and salt. I piped them with a star nozzle to produce a rippled effect.

This was very last minute, to the extent that after an hour at 120, I removed the meringues from the oven and let them cool in their baking tray on the way to my father's. Perhaps because of this they stayed very pale despite the relatively high temperature.

To construct the pavlova, I rippled shop-bought orange curd through whipped double cream and piled that over the meringues. I heaped persimmons and pomegranate seeds over the top, then secured the chocolate flowers in place with the caramel.

I liked the orange curd but, whilst it looked festive, I wasn't completely sold on its combination with persimmons and pomegranate seeds. I think the tartness of the pomegranate accentuated the bitter character of the orange; so neither felt completely at ease atop the sugarclouds of meringue. A summer version with chocolate and vanilla meringues; orange cream and strawberries might prove more successful.