Tuesday, January 22, 2019

On the MENU this Week. Pavlova


Friends joined us for lunch on New Year’s day and, as this time of year has the best selection of tropical fruit and berries, our dessert was a classic. It’s not difficult to make at all, remember to take your eggs out of the fridge a few hours before. Lynne made the meringue the day before and had a challenge. Our gas oven is playing up and would not light. The temperature in the oven is impossible to control and so she risked cooking this in our combination oven where you can set the temperature to the desired 110°C degrees and cook in the Convection mode – she just had to use a lined Pyrex or porcelain dish instead of anything metal. It worked well

Remember, when whipping egg whites, make sure the bowl is completely dry and clean. And you must not have any yolk in the whites, or it will not whip up
6 egg whites at room temperature - 1 pinch of salt - 1½ cups plus 2 tbsp white caster sugar - ½ Tbsp lemon juice - 2 tspns real vanilla extract - 2 tsp corn flour - 1½ cups chilled whipped cream - 4 to 5 cups fresh fruit (such as mango, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries, raspberries, litchi, banana, granadilla)
Preheat oven to 110°C with the rack in the centre of the oven. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper
Using a stand mixer or an electric whisk, beat the egg whites in a clean bowl with a pinch of salt on high speed for 1 minute until soft peaks form
 With mixer on, very gradually add the sugar and beat for 10 minutes on high speed, or until stiff peaks form. The mixture should be smooth and glossy
Using a large metal spoon, gently fold in lemon juice and vanilla extract, then the cornflour until well blended.
Pipe or spoon the meringue onto the greaseproof paper. Using a spoon, make an indent in the centre to allow room for cream. Bake for 75 minutes, then turn oven off and leave meringue in oven for another 30 minutes without opening the door. The outside will be dry, crisp and pale (almost white) and the inside should be marshmallow-soft
Transfer the meringue, on the greaseproof paper, onto a wire rack and leave to cool to room temperature
Beat cream until thick and spreadable. You can add 2 tbsp of sugar if you like but we prefer it without as the meringue is quite sweet on its own
Once cool, and you are ready to serve put the meringue on a pretty plate and top it with the whipped cream and fruit and serve

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© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2019

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