Basic Meringues With Variations Or A Large Pavlova Food

GIANT MERINGUE (PAVLOVA GIGANTATA)

Steps:

• To make the mezcal berries, in a medium glass bowl, combine the berries, mezcal, lime zest, lime juice, pure cane sugar, and salt. Let the berries rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. While the oven is preheating, spread the coconut shavings on the baking sheet and toast until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the coconut to a bowl, but keep the lined baking sheet for the Pavlova.
• To make the Pavlova, in a food processor, pulse the sugars and potato starch until uniformly combined and substantially more fine. Sift the sugar-starch mixture and set aside.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, whip the egg whites with the salt to stiff peaks, add the water and whip 1 minute. Add the sugar mixture little by little-a tablespoon at a time-while continuing to whip the meringue. When you've added half the sugar mixture, add the lemon juice. Keep whipping and adding the sugar mixture. When all the sugar is incorporated, whip another 2 or 3 minutes, until you have stiff, glossy peaks.
• Taking care not to deflate the meringue, form one giant mass of meringue in the center of the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a spatula, gently work the meringue closer to the sides of the baking sheet into whatever amorphous shape suits your fancy. After all, perfect circles are for squares, man. As you work, be sure to pull straight up with the end of the spatula to create interesting shapes and curls of meringue.
• When you are finished with your edible art project, reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and place the masterpiece in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 250°F (keep the oven door shut!) and bake another 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the meringue rest another 10 minutes, then open the oven door and let the Pavlova cool for another hour or so.
• To make the whipped cream, using an electric mixer (or a whisk and some elbow grease), whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
• To serve, carefully peel the parchment away from the Pavlova (or better yet, serve on the paper to aid in clean up) and garnish as you see fit with heaping spoonfuls of whipped cream, the berries, and the toasted coconut. This is a grab-and-grub scenario, so don't even bother slicing it-just provide plenty of napkins and scold people who don't wash their hands before digging in!

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.

BASIC MERINGUES WITH VARIATIONS OR A LARGE PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 100°C - 120°C Do not use the oven fan if possible.
• Beat the four egg whites with the cream of tartar using an electric mixer. Bring to 'soft peak' stage.
• Add 1/3 of the sugar and continue to beat to 'firm peak' stage- approx another 3 minutes. Then add the remaining sugar one spoon at a time whilst continuing to beat.
• Continue beating until the mixture is shiny and the sugar has totally dissolved. Feel the meringue mix with your fingertips and you should not be able to feel any gritty sugar. Continue to beat until the sugar has dissolved, if required.
• Sift the cornflour over the meringue and add the vinegar. Fold in gently.
• Use a spoon or pipe the mixture to form meringues onto a cookie tray lined with baking paper.
• Bake approx 60 minutes, or until firm and dry. During cooking reduce the oven temperature if the meringues are browning rather than drying out. When cooked, turn the oven off and leave the oven door slightly ajar. Allow the meringues to cool in the oven for about an hour, or leave overnight.
• Store in an airtight container. They should keep at least a few days.
• ____VARIATIONS ____.
• Flavoured meringues-add some vanilla or other essence of your choice whilst folding in the cornflour.
• Coloured meringues- add some food colouring of your choice and beat through before folding in the cornflour.
• Chocolate meringues- sift in 2 tablespoons of Dutch cocoa with the cornflour. You can also add ground or finely chopped nuts if desired.
• Coconut meringues- lightly fold through 1/2 cup of shredded or dessicated coconut with the cornflour.
• Almond meringues- fold through 1/2 cup ground almonds with the cornflour. You can also add some almond essence if desired.
• Lime or Lemon Meringues- fold through finely zested lime or lemon zest with the cornflour. A teaspoon of juice can be used instead of/substitute for the white vinegar.
• Sprinkled meringues- sprinkle meringues with finely chopped nuts or 100's and thousands prior to baking.
• For a Large Pavlova- Draw a 22-25 cm (9-10 inch) circle on the baking paper. Turn paper over and place on a large cookie sheet/tray. Use the entire mixture to pile onto the circle. Smooth over the surface and bake for 90 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova in the closed oven for another hour. After an hour open the oven door and leave the pavlova in the oven to cool. Serve topped with whipped cream or vanilla yogurt. Top with some fruit or grated chocolate. Can also be served with lemon butter/curd instead of cream.
• Small Pavlovas/Individual pavlovas- make as for large pavlova but use 6-8 spoonfuls of meringue per pavlova. Pile the meringue as high as possible. Bake for about 45 minutes.

PERFECT PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Using an 18cm round cake tin or plate as a guide, draw a circle on the parchment, then flip it over. Heat the oven to 130C/110C fan/gas ½.
• Rub the reserved lemon half around the inside of a large bowl or stand mixer, then wipe with kitchen paper to remove any butter or oil. Tip in the egg whites and whisk with an electric whisk or the mixer on a low speed until the whites form small, foamy bubbles, about 1-2 mins. Keep going until the mix looks like shaving foam, then add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until it's a thick, glossy meringue. Rub some between your fingers - if you can feel any grains of sugar, keep whisking for a few minutes. Add the cornflour, lemon juice and vanilla, and whisk for another 30 seconds.
• Spoon the meringue onto the baking parchment, into the centre of the circle, and spread it out to the edges with a palette knife. Swipe the knife around the edge, then smooth the top. Bake for 15 mins, then turn the oven down to 100C/80C fan/gas ¼ and bake for 1 hr. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside to cool for at least 2 hrs, or overnight.
• When you're ready to serve, carefully invert the pavlova and peel away the parchment. Don't worry if it cracks a little - it will be covered by the toppings. Toppings to tryWatermelon, lime & mint sugar pavlovaBanana, tahini & salted caramel pavlovaCherry, almond & vanilla custard pavlova

MERINGUE/PAVLOVA

Steps:

• PREHEAT THE OVEN to 150C/130C fan/300F/gas 2. Very lightly oil a baking sheet and cover with a sheet of nonstick baking parchment.
• TO WHISK THE EGG WHITES Using an electric mixer, or a bowl and electric hand whisk (ensure both bowl and whisk are spotless), beat the egg whites with the caster sugar until very firm - about 4 minutes - then add the icing sugar, vanilla extract, cornflour and vinegar, and beat for another 3 minutes until very firm and glossy.
• FOR INDIVIDUAL MERINGUES Using a large metal spoon, dollop spoonfuls of the mixture on to the prepared baking sheet, allowing at least 5cm between them. Shape or swirl them to your liking with a spatula or knife, or allow a trail of mixture to flop over backwards, making a peak. FOR A PAVLOVA BASE Using a large metal spoon, scoop the mixture on to the baking paper, then, using the back of the spoon and starting from the centre, spread out and flatten slightly in one sweep, to give a round cushion with a slight dip in the middle. Don't touch the sides as this will spoil the fluid lines.
• TO COOK THE MERINGUES Just before placing them in the oven, reduce the heat to 140C/120C fan/275F/gas 1 and bake on a middle shelf for 35 minutes for individual meringues, 1 hour 10 minutes for a pavlova. Turn off the oven, open the door and leave the meringues to cool gently for a few minutes before removing. Once out of the oven leave in a warm place to cool (this helps prevent excessive cracking, although a few cracks are the norm). Meringue should be marshmallow-soft at the centre, with a fragile and crisp exterior. When cool, carefully detach from the paper and, if made in advance, keep in an airtight container for up to two days.
• TO FINISH A PAVLOVA Whip 300ml double cream with 1 tbsp icing sugar until it forms soft peaks, then pile on to the base and top with fruit of your choosing (passionfruit and berries are especially good)