Raspberry Ripple Pavlova Food

RASPBERRY RIPPLE PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Make the semi-freddo. Push 140g/5oz of the raspberries through a sieve, leaving behind the seeds. Stir in 25g/1oz of the icing sugar. Whip the cream until like thick custard. Whisk in the mascarpone until the mix thickens, then stir in the remaining icing sugar.
• Drop spoonfuls of the cream mix into a deep, oblong plastic container, and fill in with a drizzle of sieved raspberries. Do not stir. Add another layer of cream and raspberries. Gently smooth the surface and press down lightly, then freeze for 2-21⁄2 hours until half frozen.
• Heat oven to 140C/fan 120C/gas 1. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment. Draw a 20-22cm circle on the paper. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Slowly whisk in the caster sugar until thick and glossy. Beat in the cornflour. Pile the meringue in soft folds onto the circle on the baking parchment. Scatter over the pistachios. Bake for 11⁄4-11⁄2 hrs until crisp on the outside and dry underneath. Cool then gently peel off the paper.
• Remove the semi-freddo from the freezer and pile in big spoonfuls on the pavlova. Finish off with a scattering of the remaining raspberries.

INDIVIDUAL FRESH RASPBERRY PAVLOVAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250F (an oven thermometer is a great tool to have in case your oven is not calibrated correctly) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until foamy. With the mixer going, add the salt and vanilla beans and then slowly add the sugar. Let the mixer go on high until the whites are stiff and glossy, see photo in the blog, above.
• Fold in the lemon juice and cornstarch.
• Spoon the meringue into 4 equal circles on the baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to make a concave dip in the center of each, where the whipped cream will go later. (You can make 8 smaller meringues if you like.)
• Bake the meringues for 90 minutes, and don't disturb while baking. Then turn the oven off and crack the oven door open, and leave them in the oven for another hour.
• To make the raspberry sauce put the berries in a saucepan with the sugar and the Amaretto or water and heat, stirring, until the raspberries break down and get soft.
• Use an immersion blender or a small food processor to puree the sauce. You can strain out the seeds if you like, pushing the sauce through a mesh sieve to get as much of the sauce through as possible, while leaving the seeds behind. I strained half the sauce so that I still had some seeds remaining. Set aside. Note: you can also leave the raspberry sauce chunky and skip the blending entirely.
• Whip the cream with the sugar until soft peaks form.
• Assemble the pavlovas just before serving ~ put a nice dollop of whipped cream in the center of each meringue. Drizzle generously with raspberry sauce, then top with a few whole berries and mint leaves. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

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.