Australian Pavlovas With Ginger And Tropical Fruits Food

PAVLOVAS WITH LEMON CURD AND TROPICAL FRUIT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/Gas 2). Beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating well after each addition, until thick and glossy with stiff peaks. stir in the vanilla.
• Line a tray with baking paper and spoon the mixture into six small nests on the tray. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven to 120oc (250oF/Gas 1/2) and bake for 10 minutes Turn off the oven and leave the pavlovas to cool in the oven with the door ajar.
• To make the lemon curd, put the lemon rind, lemon juice, sugar, eggs and butter in a heatproof bowl and whisk together.
• Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the base of the bowl is not sitting in the water. Stir for about 15 minutes, or until the curd is thick - do not allow it to boil. Lat plastic wrap on the surface and leave to cool. Fold on the whipped cream all through the curd. Spoon into the pavlovas and top with banana, mango and passionfruit.

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").

TROPICAL PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. To make the meringue, separate the egg whites into a clean bowl (save the yolks for another time) and add the sugar. Beat with an electric whisk for 8-10 mins, or until stiff and glossy. Combine the vanilla, vinegar and cornflour in a separate bowl until smooth, then fold into the eggs along with the coconut.
• Place a piece of parchment paper or silicone paper over a baking sheet. Spoon the meringue mix onto the sheet and smooth out to form a circle about 20-25cm wide, swirling with a knife to make peaks around the edges. Cook for 1 hr until the meringue is crisp and lightly browned, then turn off the oven and leave to cool. Gently peel away the paper. Can be made up to two days ahead and carefully stored in an airtight container.
• To serve, whip the cream, crème fraîche, sugar and vanilla extract together until soft peaks form, then spread over the centre of the meringue. Top with the fruit and serve.