The Pavlova From Down Under Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or using a hand mixer), whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a clean, dry bowl until foamy. Add the granulated sugar, cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla and continue whipping until stiff, smooth and glossy, about 8 minutes more. On a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit a sheet pan, use a pencil to draw or trace a circle 9-inches in diameter. Line the sheet pan with the parchment, pencil side down (you should still be able to see the circle). Spoon the egg whites into the circle, using the back of the spoon to smooth the top and sides of the disk. Bake in the center of the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 degrees and bake until the meringue has puffed up and cracked on the top and the surface is lightly browned to the color of cafe au lait, about 45 minutes more. Turn off the oven, prop the oven door open, and let the pavlova cool in the oven at least 30 minutes, to room temperature. This ensures a gradual cooling, which protects the delicate meringue.
• Whip the cream and brown sugar together until stiff. Spoon it in the center of the cooled pavlova and spread out to within 1/2-inch of the edge. Arrange the slices of kiwi around the edge. Arrange the slices of strawberry in the middle. To serve, slice into wedges with a serrated knife.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Draw a 9 inch circle on the parchment. An easy way to do this is to draw around the outside of a 9 inch pan with a pencil.
• In a large bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar gradually, while continuing to whip. Make sure sugar is completely dissolved. Mix together the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the cornstarch; lightly fold into meringue with lemon juice.
• Spread a layer of meringue to fit circle on parchment, approximately 1/4 inch thick. With remainder of mixture, pipe or spoon swirls around the edges to form a shallow bowl shape.
• Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 1 hour. Turn off oven, but leave meringue in oven for an additional 30 minutes. When cool, the meringue should be hard on the outside, and slightly moist on the inside.
• In a large bowl, combine the cream and half a cup of confectioners sugar, and whip until thickened. Decorate with fruit of your choice; strawberries are excellent.

Steps:

• Use a pencil to mark the outline of a 10" disc on a piece of parchment paper. Turn the paper over and lay it in a half sheet pan, then set aside.
• Add the egg whites with a pinch of salt to a dry, clean bowl of your stand mixer. Using the whip attachment, begin whipping the egg whites to create a French meringue.
• Once they have become very frothy and starting to turn white, add the sugar 1/4 cup at a time until it is all incorporated and has formed very stiff peaks. Next add the vinegar, vanilla and sifted cornstarch and continue beating until it is incorporated.
• Pour this out onto your parchment paper and use an offset spatula to spread out the meringue. Bake this in a preheated 250 degrees F oven for 1 hour, and then turn off the oven and allow the meringue to cool completely before removing from the oven.
• Once cooled, whip the cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla to stiff peaks. Feel free to add more sugar if you prefer. Top the entire Pavlova with the whipped cream.
• In the meantime, rinse your berries and set aside. Add the apple jelly to a microwave safe bowl and heat it until melted.
• Toss this into the berries and add them on top of the whipped cream. The apple jelly gives that beautiful shine to the berries and is perfect to use here. It seals and glazes the fruit beautifully. Serve immediately.
• Note: You can make the meringue disc ahead of time and then decorate it right before service. If you put the disc together with the whipped cream too far in advance and refrigerate, the meringue will get soggy. So make sure to prepare the disc the day before and allow it to cool completely, then cover and store at room temperature until you are ready to put the cake together.

Steps:

• If you're using fresh eggs and you have time, freeze the egg whites, then defrost completely (see tip, 'freeze for ease', below). Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment and heat the oven to 120C/100C fan/gas ½. Using a 20cm cake tin or plate as a guide, draw a circle on the parchment, then flip it over.
• Rub the reserved lemon half around the inside of a large bowl. Tip in the egg whites and whisk using an electric whisk until small, foamy bubbles form, about 1-2 mins. Continue to whisk until the egg whites resemble shaving foam, then add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the meringue is thick and glossy. Rub a dab between your fingertips - if you can feel any grains of sugar, keep whisking for a few minutes more. Add the cornflour and lemon juice, then whisk for another 30 seconds.
• Spoon the meringue mix into the middle of the circle template, then use a palette knife to spread it out to fill the circle, creating a dip in the middle (this will hold the topping later). Run the palette knife up the edges at regular intervals to create ridges, if you like. Bake for 1 hr, then turn off the oven and leave the pavlova to cool completely with the door shut (if you can, leave it overnight).
• For the topping, tip the strawberries into a bowl, dust with the icing sugar and squeeze over a little lemon juice. Mix together and leave to stand for 30 mins. Meanwhile, whisk the ingredients for the cream together until thick and pillowy. Gently stir the raspberries and redcurrants, if using, through the strawberries. Spoon the cream into the middle of the pavlova, then top with the fruit, drizzling over any juice. Scatter over the mint or basil before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Using a clean and perfectly dry bowl, beat egg whites. When soft peaks form, add sugar gradually.
• Beat until very stiff, continue beating and add salt, then vinegar, and finally vanilla a few drops at a time.
• Beat in the cornstarch and keep beating until the mixture is really glossy and will stand when cut with a knife.
• Cover a baking pan with a sheet of parchment paper, tip the pavlova mix into the center of the pan and spread it into around about 8 - 9 inches across, leave the center slightly caved inches
• Place on rack in center of oven and cook for one hour, then turn oven off and leave until oven is cold.
• Do not open the oven at all until it is cold. If you are unsure, it's better to leave in too long than open early.
• This pavlova has a slightly crisp outside and is like marshmallow on the inside. You may dress it several ways, spread with a layer of thick whipped cream that has had 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 teaspoon of sugar added or pastry cream. This is covered with sliced fruit, whatever is in season - strawberries, raspberries, sliced (peeled) kiwifruit the choice is yours.

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Using an 18cm round cake tin or plate as a guide, draw a circle on the parchment, then flip it over. Heat the oven to 130C/110C fan/gas ½.
• Rub the reserved lemon half around the inside of a large bowl or stand mixer, then wipe with kitchen paper to remove any butter or oil. Tip in the egg whites and whisk with an electric whisk or the mixer on a low speed until the whites form small, foamy bubbles, about 1-2 mins. Keep going until the mix looks like shaving foam, then add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until it's a thick, glossy meringue. Rub some between your fingers - if you can feel any grains of sugar, keep whisking for a few minutes. Add the cornflour, lemon juice and vanilla, and whisk for another 30 seconds.
• Spoon the meringue onto the baking parchment, into the centre of the circle, and spread it out to the edges with a palette knife. Swipe the knife around the edge, then smooth the top. Bake for 15 mins, then turn the oven down to 100C/80C fan/gas ¼ and bake for 1 hr. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside to cool for at least 2 hrs, or overnight.
• When you're ready to serve, carefully invert the pavlova and peel away the parchment. Don't worry if it cracks a little - it will be covered by the toppings. Toppings to tryWatermelon, lime & mint sugar pavlovaBanana, tahini & salted caramel pavlovaCherry, almond & vanilla custard pavlova