i am back from the US. and i am totally knackered. those 8 hour flights in the night just dont do it for me. cant sleep, wont sleep. so i was desperate for a serious sugar rush this morning and with those egg whites that have been sitting in my fridge since i left there was really one ting i could do: a pavlova. it's good for my sugar level, its wonderful to make (i love the texture of meringue - i could look at it for ever!). it's such a lovely dessert to make that sits in the oven for a while but is actually very quick to make (really, all you do is whip some egg whites with sugar, dont you?).
so here i sit - totally jet-lagged, missing new york and its wonderful energy. but this gooey bit of meringue melting on my tongue feels like home already. heaven!
RECIPE
meringue:
6 egg whites, from large eggs
250g caster sugar
50g icing sugar, sifted
topping:
about 200 ml single cream
seeds of 1 vanilla pod
1 punnet rasberries
1 punnet strawberries
some peppermint leaves, optional
preheat the oven to 100 c°
line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt until very stiff. then gradually add the sugar and mix for about 10 minutes until the mixture is very white and glossy (there is this trick, where you can dip your finger into the mixture and rub it between your fingers. if it's smooth, its perfect, if it still feels a bit grainy, mix on!). then carefully fold in the icing sugar.
spoon your meringue mix onto the lined baking tray and form a rectagle. if you dab them with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon, you get some whipsy bits coming from the surface.
bake in the middle of the oven for about 1,5 hours until it's crispy on the inside, but still lovely goey in the inside. turn down oven and let meringue cool in the oven (prevents it from cracking!). i sometimes but a wodden spoon between the oven-door while the meringue is cooling in the oven.
when meringue is completely cool, whip cream with vanilla seeds and spread generously onto the meringue. decorate with berries and garnish with peppermint leaves, if desired.
Myriam,
ReplyDeleteI tried making a pavlova once but my oven wasn't good (the temperatures were off a bit). It didn't work out.
I used a recipe by Nigella but yours sounds simpler to me - there's no addition of vinegar or cornstarch (I believe there's no need for the latter because of the icing sugar).
It looks perfect - I'll give it a try again!
Mhhh lovely...here's another trick...if you add to the mixture a scarce teaspoon of cornstach and, at the end, before the last whip, a scarce teaspoon of WHITE vinegar it will taste and look even better! My mom taught me to do it and she claims that it 's in the original recipe!
ReplyDeleteAnna
your pavlova looks absolutely wonderful! So are the other creations of yours!
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge fan of meringues and your Pavlova looks absolutely beautiful! I think I"m going to have to make this soon. :-)
ReplyDeletepatricia - let me tell you: the first time i made a pavlova everyone thought i made caramel! give it a try and just watch it in the oven.
ReplyDeleteanna - i know the vinegar helps to keep the colour and i always use the cornstarch if i make those huge meringues. it gives such a great structure. thanks for your tip. happy to try it out next time. if your mum says its the original, then it must be the originals. mums are always right! ;-)
novice baker - thank you thank you. glad you enjoy!
coookie baker lynn - go ahead and whip some egg whites. you know whats the best thing about this: it keeps in the fridge for about 4-5 days. so you got some dessert every night of the week! how fab is that?
Just beautiful - i have my fork ready!
ReplyDeleteI made pavlova once for a friend that was from New Zealand on their birthday when we were both far away from home. It was crazy to make! But oh so good!
ReplyDeletehaalo - oh its so wonderful to hear this from someone who is from down under. you guys really know how to make a perfect pavlova!
ReplyDeletejenndz - i bet this is the number one homesickness-dish for a kiwi. i know its sooo good, isnt it?