Australian Pavlova Recipes

NEW ZEALAND PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat the oven to 275 F/140 C and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
• Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and score a 7-inch circle on the foil with the blunt edge of a knife, without tearing the foil. (Use a bowl as a guide.) Set aside.
• In a clean, medium-sized metal bowl, beat the egg whites with a clean electric mixer on medium speed until the whites form soft peaks .
• Gently sprinkle the sugar into the egg whites, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating continuously until the whites form stiff glossy peaks.
• Sprinkle the cornstarch and vinegar on the meringue and fold in gently with a plastic spatula.
• Add the vanilla and gently fold the mixture again.
• Now gently spread the meringue in the circle on the foil to make a circular base. Make sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center so you have a shallow well in the middle.
• Bake the meringue for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it turns a very pale, pinkish eggshell color.
• Turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar to let the meringue cool completely. As the meringue cools, it will crack slightly.
• Just before serving, take the meringue out of the oven and gently transfer it from the foil to a plate.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Whip the cream with the vanilla and icing sugar until it forms peaks and set aside.
• Prepare the fruit by washing it and slicing any that aren't going to be left whole.
• If using bananas, toss with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
• Gently spread the cream over the top of the cooled meringue with a spatula.
• Arrange the fruit on top. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.

THE BEST PAVLOVA

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.

AUSTRALIAN PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Place the egg whites in a small mixing bowl and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, draw a 10 inch circle on a piece of wax paper and place (writing-side down) on a baking sheet. Variation: Draw 10 four inch circles on the wax paper.
• Add vanilla and cream of tartar to egg whites. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating on high speed until very stiff peaks form and sugar is almost dissolved (about 5 minutes).
• Using the back of a spoon, spread meringue onto the circle, building the sides up to form a bowl.
• Bake in a 300oF oven for 35 minutes. Turn off the oven and let shell dry in the oven, with the door closed for one hour. Remove the shell from baking sheet and pull off wax paper. Store in an airtight container. Will keep indefinitely.
• The traditional filling is simply fresh fruit of your choice and whipped cream and topped with fruit sauce. Another good one is ice cream, nuts, fruit and sauce ("banana split").

AUSTRALIAN PAVLOVA

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 275 F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and draw an 8-inch circle as a guide for the pavlova. Turn paper over so pencil is facing down. Sprinkle a small amount of extra corn starch lightly on the circle so pavlova does not stick.
• 2. When separating eggs, be careful there is NO yolk in the whites as this will keep whites from beating properly. In a large very clean bowl, beat whites and pinch of salt til glossy and softly peak. Do not overbeat. Add the superfine sugar 1 Tbsp at a time until mixture makes firm, glossy peaks, but is not dry. Sift corn starch softly over whites and fold in with lemon juice and vanilla.
• 3. Spoon mixture over the circle, mounding in center and then spread outward to make a circle with a slight depression in the center. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and cool in oven for 2 hours. Store in airtight container. Best if served the same day. If it cracks or sinks, fill with cream when finishing just before serving.
• 4. Remove parchment paper and place pavlova on cake stand or plate for serving. Just before serving, beat the cream with the powdered sugar and 1 tsp vanilla. Fill depression across the top of pavlova with the whipped cream and sprinkle cream with your choice of fruit. Sliced strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, raspberries, fresh pineapple, passionfruit or what you like. Do not add cream and fruit ahead of time as will make the meringue soggy.