Mini Chocolate Pavlovas Food

MINI CHOCOLATE PAVLOVAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200°F.
• Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl with mixer on high speed 2 min. or until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating constantly until stiff peaks form.
• Spoon egg white mixture into large piping bag fitted with star tip. Use to pipe egg white mixture into 10 (3-inch) rounds, 1 inch apart, on each of 2 parchment-covered baking sheets.
• Bake 1-1/2 hours, rearranging baking sheets on oven racks after 45 min. Turn oven off. Let meringues stand in oven (with door closed) 15 min. Remove meringues from oven; cool completely.
• Meanwhile, beat pudding mix and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Place meringues on platter just before serving. Spoon pudding into separate piping bag fitted with star tip. Use to pipe pudding onto meringues; sprinkle with chocolate chips.

CHOCOLATE-SWIRLED MINI PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 250°F.
• Beat egg whites and vinegar in medium bowl with mixer on high speed 1 min. or until soft peaks form. Add sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating constantly until stiff peaks form. Add cornstarch; beat on medium speed just until blended.
• Add chocolate to egg white mixture; stir gently just until swirled.
• Drop egg white mixture into 9 mounds, 4 inches apart, on parchment-covered baking sheet, using about 1/2 cup egg white mixture for each mound. Spread each into 2-1/2 inch round with back of spoon, slightly indenting center of each round.
• Bake 1 hour; cool completely.
• Top with COOL WHIP and strawberries just before serving.

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Prepare the pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment. Draw a 9-inch-diameter circle on the paper with a pencil, tracing a round cake tin that size.
• Flip the paper over so your meringue doesn't touch the pencil marks - you'll still be able to see the circle.
• Make the meringue: Beat the egg whites with a mixer until satiny peaks form, and then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.
• Add the chocolate: Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar and then the chopped chocolate over the egg whites. Gently fold everything with a rubber spatula until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in.
• Shape the meringue: Secure the parchment to the baking sheet with a dab of meringue under each corner. Mound the meringue onto the parchment within the circle, smoothing the sides and the top with a spatula.
• Bake the meringue: Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 300 degrees F and cook for one to one and a quarter hours. When it's ready, it should look crisp and dry on top, but when you prod the center you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers.
• Let it cool: Turn off the oven and open the door slightly; let the chocolate meringue disk cool completely in the oven. When you'reready to serve, invert onto a big flatbottomed plate and peel off the parchment.
• Decorate the Pavlova: Whisk the cream till thick but still soft and pile it on top of the meringue, then scatter the raspberries on top. Coarsely grate the chocolate haphazardly over the top so that you get curls of chocolate rather than rubble, as you don't want the raspberries' luscious color and form to be obscured. You want the Pavlova to look like a frosted cake.

MINI DARK CHOCOLATE, BLACKBERRY & BAY PAVLOVAS

Steps:

• To make the meringue, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in quick bursts in the microwave. Allow to cool. Mix together the sugar, cream of tartar and cornflour.
• Put the egg whites in a stand mixer or a metal or ceramic bowl. Using an electric whisk, whisk on a low-medium speed for a few mins until stiff peaks form, then slowly start to add in the sugar mixture, 1½ tbsp at a time, whisking between each addition until the sugar has dissolved and is well incorporated into the meringue. Once you have a thick, glossy meringue that holds its shape on the whisk, pour over the melted chocolate and swirl it in so you have a rippled meringue - avoid overmixing to retain the swirl effect.
• Heat the oven to 120C/100C fan/gas ½ and use a little of the meringue mix from the whisk to stick some baking parchment to two baking sheets, then dollop on little mounds of meringue, or, if you prefer, make a nest shape by flattening the meringue down with the back of a spoon. Bake the meringues for 1 hr 10 mins until crisp and pulling away from the parchment. Leave to sit in the oven until completely cool.
• Meanwhile, weigh out 150g of the blackberries and put in a non-reactive pan (such as stainless steel) with the sugar and bay leaves. Cook over a gentle heat for a few mins, stirring so that the blackberries start to break down into a loose compote and release their juice. Leave the mixture to cool, then stir through the remaining blackberries. Set aside.
• Whip the cream until soft peaks form, then fold through the natural yogurt. Swirl through a couple of spoonfuls of the blackberry and bay juices so you have a ripple effect. Add a spoonful of the cream mixture to each meringue and spoon over the blackberries and their juices. Discard the bay leaves. Best eaten on the day of baking.

PEAR & CHOCOLATE MINI PAVLOVAS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line 2 large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff.
• Gradually whisk in the sugar 1 tbsp at a time until the mixture is very stiff and shiny. Sift in the cornflour then, using a large metal spoon, fold in along with the vinegar. Divide the mixture into 8 mounds and place on the parchment paper. With a dessert spoon, flatten each one out to approximately 9cm in diameter and make a light indent in the centre of each.
• Cook for 40-50 mins or until the meringue mixture is hard and the baking parchment peels away easily from the bottom of the each one. Cool on a wire rack. You can make these up to three days in advance and store in an airtight container or freeze for up to a month.
• Using a sharp knife, score around and scoop out the core of the pears, keeping the stalk on. Place the pears in a medium pan in a single layer - they should fit quite tightly. Add the honey, apple juice and cinnamon stick. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover with a round of baking parchment and a lid. Simmer for 35-40 mins until pears are tender. Remove lid and paper, turn up the heat and allow the liquid to bubble away until it has turned to a sticky glaze. Leave to cool. Pears may be refrigerated for up to 2 days, coated in glaze and covered.
• Meanwhile, make the chocolate sauce and cream filling. Add the double cream and chocolate to the pan and stir constantly over a gentle heat, until the chocolate has melted. Stir together the cream and Greek yogurt until thick, but still soft - it will thicken up without beating.
• To serve, put the meringues on serving plates and top with a dollop of the cream filling. Place a glazed pear on top and drizzle with some warm chocolate sauce. Serve straight away, handing round any extra sauce.

MINI PAVLOVAS (INDIVIDUAL SERVE PAVLOVA)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 130°C Line two baking trays with baking paper. Draw 3 10cm (4 inch) circles on each piece of paper.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. This is quite a bit of beating.
• Add the sugar one spoon at a time ,beat well after each addition. Dont be in a hurry to add the sugar quickly- your egg whites will not hold up if you do!
• Continue beating until all of the sugar has been added and the meringue is thick and glossy.
• Using a large clean metal spoon, gentley fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla.
• You can turn the paper over on the baking trays and still see the drawn circles. Spoon meringue onto the baking trays, using the circles as a guide.
• Bake in the oven on the lowest shelves for 75 minutes or until crisp. Turn the oven off. Leave the pavlovas in the oven to cool completely, or overnight. Leave the oven door slightly ajar.
• To serve-spoon whipped cream or fruche over each pavlova and decorate with fruit of your choice or crushed/flaked chocolate.