Pavlova

Name: Pavlova
Cook time: 228 min
Total time: 228 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Australiana
Ingredients: 1 pinch Salt; 2 teaspoons Cornstarch; 220 g Caster Sugar; 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract; 1 tablespoon Icing Sugar; 4 u Egg White; 1 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar; 250 g strawberries; 300 ml Whipping Cream; 3 tablespoons Passion Fruit Pulp; 2 u Kiwi

Medium

Incomplete allergen information: some ingredients have not been reviewed yet. Always check the labels before cooking.

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 4 hr
Servings: 8

Summary

A large meringue, crisp outside and soft as marshmallow within, topped with whipped cream and sharp fresh fruit. The festive dessert of Australia and New Zealand.

Ingredients

8 servings

Add to Bring!

1 pinch Salt
2 teaspoons Cornstarch
220 g Caster Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Icing Sugar
4 u Egg White (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon White Wine Vinegar
250 g strawberries (halved)
300 ml Whipping Cream (well chilled)
3 tablespoons Passion Fruit Pulp (from 2 or 3 passion fruit)
2 u Kiwi (peeled and sliced)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150 °C (no fan). Draw a circle of about 22 cm on a sheet of baking paper, turn it over and lay it on the baking tray.
10 min
Whisk the egg whites with the salt in a clean, dry bowl at medium speed until they form soft peaks.
4 min
Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, whisking at high speed, and keep going until the meringue is very stiff and glossy and you cannot feel any grains of sugar when you rub a little between your fingers.
8 min
Fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla with a spatula, without whisking any further.
1 min
Spread the meringue inside the circle, with the edges a little higher than the centre to form a nest. Put the tray in the oven, lower the temperature to 120 °C and bake.
75 min
Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside with the door ajar until completely cool. This way it cracks less.
2 hr
Just before serving, whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks. Transfer the base to a serving plate, cover it with the cream and scatter the strawberries, kiwi and passion fruit pulp over the top.
10 min

Notes

Australia and New Zealand have argued over its origin since the 1920s; both named it after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. The vinegar and cornflour are what give it a soft centre. The egg whites should be at room temperature and the bowl free of any trace of grease or yolk. A few cracks are normal. The base keeps for two or three days in an airtight container somewhere dry (never in the fridge), but assemble the pavlova just before serving, as the cream softens the meringue within a few hours. Classic fruit: passion fruit, kiwi and strawberries, or berries in winter.