24/09/2014
7th Post Pictures Photography :)
The Pavlova fondly referred to as a ‘Pav’, is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. The dessert is believed to have been created in honour of the dancer during one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s. The origin and the creator has been a source of argument between the two friendly nations for many years. Never mind its origins, the Aussies, who introduced this glorious dessert to me, have got it right and I’m sure the
Kiwi version is as good.
INGREDIENTS
1cup sugar
4 large eggs separated ( recipe requires the whites only)
2tsp corn flour
1tsp white wine vinegar
pinch of salt
Ingredients for the topping
1cup fresh cream ( 200ml approx)
1tbsp sugar ( optional)
fruits of your choice for the topping.
METHODOLOGY
Heat oven to 150°c . Line baking sheet/ tray with baking paper/ parchment paper. Using a pencil, draw a 20cm circle on the parchment paper.
Whisk the egg whites and salt with a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.
Fold in the vinegar and cornflour.Spoon the meringue inside the circle into a mound - do not flatten too much and create a slight indentation in the middle (lightly). Smooth the sides.
Bake for 55 mins, then turn off the heat and let the Pavlova cool completely inside the oven. Leave the oven door slightly ajar.
Topping
METHODOLOGY
Whip cream and sugar ( sugar is optional) until soft peak stage, pile on top of the completely cool meringue and top with fruits of your choice.
Notes
** I use brown sugar as it adds a caramel flavour to the meringue. Do use white sugar if you want your meringue to be white in colour.
** Be very gentle when transferring from tray to serving platter as the shell can be fragile.
**use caster sugar or grind the brown sugar slightly for best results.