Pavlova Shell Food

NEW ZEALAND PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Heat the oven to 275 F/140 C and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
• Line a baking tray with aluminum foil and score a 7-inch circle on the foil with the blunt edge of a knife, without tearing the foil. (Use a bowl as a guide.) Set aside.
• In a clean, medium-sized metal bowl, beat the egg whites with a clean electric mixer on medium speed until the whites form soft peaks .
• Gently sprinkle the sugar into the egg whites, 1 teaspoon at a time, beating continuously until the whites form stiff glossy peaks.
• Sprinkle the cornstarch and vinegar on the meringue and fold in gently with a plastic spatula.
• Add the vanilla and gently fold the mixture again.
• Now gently spread the meringue in the circle on the foil to make a circular base. Make sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center so you have a shallow well in the middle.
• Bake the meringue for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until it turns a very pale, pinkish eggshell color.
• Turn off the oven and leave the door slightly ajar to let the meringue cool completely. As the meringue cools, it will crack slightly.
• Just before serving, take the meringue out of the oven and gently transfer it from the foil to a plate.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Whip the cream with the vanilla and icing sugar until it forms peaks and set aside.
• Prepare the fruit by washing it and slicing any that aren't going to be left whole.
• If using bananas, toss with the lemon juice to prevent browning.
• Gently spread the cream over the top of the cooled meringue with a spatula.
• Arrange the fruit on top. Garnish with fresh mint, if desired.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.

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.

EASY PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9-inch circle on the parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice, and cornstarch.
• Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center.
• Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a small bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream, and top with kiwifruit slices.

PAVLOVA DELUXE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Grease interior of 8 inch springform pan and dust lightly with cornstarch.
• Beat egg whites, preferably in a glass or ceramic bowl, until stiff and glossy. Make sure egg whites have absolutely no contact with grease (fresh or residual), or even a speck of yolk. Combine cream of tartar, white sugar, and cornstarch; gradually beat in to the egg whites. Sprinkle vinegar over egg white mixture, then fold it in very gently.
• Pile meringue into prepared pan. Spread to the sides leaving a slight depression in the center. Place in preheated oven. Close the oven door, and immediately turn oven down to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Bake for 75 to 90 minutes. Open oven door, but leave meringue in the oven for 15 more minutes. Remove meringue to a draft free spot. Very carefully remove rim of springform pan, and allow meringue to cool completely. There may be a slight sinking in the center. Carefully remove meringue from pan base, and place on serving platter.
• Whip cream, vanilla extract, and confectioners' sugar until thick and firm. Gently spread over the meringue.
• Remove the pulp from the passion fruit, and spoon over cream. If using kiwi, peel and slice the fruit; arrange slightly overlapping slices in a pleasing design. Chill until serving time.

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

LOW-FAT CHOCOLATE MOUSSE IN A MERINGUE SHELL (PAVLOVA)

Steps:

• MERINGUE SHELL: Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In a mixer bowl, whisk egg whites and cream of tarter until soft peaks form.
• While using a mixer at med-high speed, add sugar, 1 T. at a time until all sugar is incorporated.
• Add vanilla and continue to beat at high speed until mixture stands in stiff, glossy peaks.
• Spoon mixture onto parchment paper or non-stick foil, making a 9" circle that is mounded up at the outside edge.
• Bake 250 degrees for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Then turn oven off and allow it to stay inside the oven another hour (or overnight) to cool completely.
• FILLING: Whisk chocolate syrup into milk, then blend the milk mixture into the pudding. Whisk only about one minute; allow pudding to sit 5 minutes to thicken.
• Mound thickened filling into cooled Pavlova shell; refrigerate 4 hours or until filling has set. If desired, garnish with chocolate curls to serve.