Rhubarb Raspberry Pavlova Food

PAVLOVA WITH RHUBARB AND PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Stir together 1 cup sugar and the cornstarch in a small bowl. Beat together egg whites, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt with a mixer on low speed until very frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add sugar mixture, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, 12 to 15 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl halfway through.
• Mound meringue onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently spread into a 7-inch circle, leaving a well 3 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch deep in the center. Bake until meringue is crisp on the outside and the texture of marshmallow on the inside, about 2 1/2 hours. (If meringue starts to brown, reduce oven temperature to 175 degrees.) Turn off heat and let meringue cool in oven at least 2 1/2 hours or up to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine rhubarb, water, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, remaining tablespoon lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. Bake until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes, spooning juices over halfway through.
• Carefully transfer rhubarb pieces (they will be very soft) to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet with a spatula; reserve juices. Let cool completely.
• Just before serving, beat together cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Place meringue on a serving platter and fill with whipped cream. Top with rhubarb, and garnish with pistachios. Spoon over pavlova and rhubarb juices, and serve immediately.

RHUBARB RASPBERRY PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Invert a 9-inch metal bowl on a work surface. Cut an 18-inch-square sheet of aluminum foil, and place over bowl, shiny side out. Using the plastic handle of a vegetable peeler or rubber spatula, smooth the foil against the bowl, eliminating any creases; set bowl aside. Fill a medium saucepan 1/4 full with water. Set the saucepan over medium heat, and bring water to a simmer.
• Combine egg whites, 1/2 cup sugar, and cream of tartar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Holding the bowl over the simmering water, whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer bowl to mixer. Start beating on low speed; gradually increase speed to high until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. Add vanilla extract; mix until combined.
• Spoon the meringue over the foil on the inverted bowl. Using an offset spatula or a large spoon, gently spread the meringue to make a shell that is 1/2 to 1 inch thick and 2 inches deep. Without going over the rim of the bowl, make decorative swirls around the rim. Coat what will be the base of shell evenly so that it is flat; avoid making thin spots.
• Place bowl, still inverted, on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven, and bake 25 minutes. Watch carefully; if the shell begins to brown, open oven door and lower temperature to 175 degrees. Bake 2 hours more at 175 degrees. Turn off heat, and leave the bowl in the oven 12 hours or overnight to dry completely.
• In a large bowl, prepare an ice bath. Combine 1 cup water, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, and kirsch, if using, in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Add rhubarb chunks. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer until rhubarb is tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer rhubarb to an empty bowl set over an ice bath; let cool completely. Chill until ready to use.
• To assemble the dessert, place the bowl of an electric mixer and the whisk attachment in the freezer to chill, and have ice bath ready. Drain rhubarb through a strainer set over a bowl, reserving both the syrup and the rhubarb. Transfer syrup to a small saucepan. Set saucepan over medium heat; reduce by half or until syrup coats the back of a wooden spoon, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer syrup to a bowl set over the ice bath; let cool completely.
• Pour heavy cream into the chilled mixer bowl. Split vanilla bean lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds, and add to cream. Discard the pod. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
• Unwrap aluminum-foil edges from bowl, and slide bowl out of meringue shell. Turn shell right side up. Gently pull foil away from meringue, starting at rim and working toward the bottom, until shell is free.
• Place meringue shell on a cake stand or plate. Spoon whipped cream into shell. If shell breaks, press it back together. Spoon rhubarb chunks over whipped cream, and garnish with raspberries. Serve any remaining rhubarb syrup on the side. Dust with confectioners' sugar. Using a pie server or spoon, serve immediately.

MINI STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PAVLOVAS

Steps:

• For the meringues: Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch and set aside.
• Wipe a metal, glass or ceramic bowl out with paper towel and add in the egg whites and salt. Using a hand mixer, whip the egg whites on high until soft, foamy peaks form. With the mixer running, slowly sprinkle in the sugar mixture and continue to whip until the meringue is glossy and stiff peaks hold when the beaters are lifted out of the mixture.
• Whip in the vanilla. Using a large spoon, drop four large dollops of the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet, creating an indentation in the middle of each.
• Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to sit in the oven until cooled completely, about 30 minutes.
• For the toppings: Meanwhile, combine the strawberries and rhubarb in a small saucepan with the wine or water and 1/4 cup sugar. Place over medium-low heat and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fruit starts to break down and becomes jammy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool to room temperature. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to assemble.
• Just before serving, whip the cream with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and the vanilla. To serve, dollop whipped cream in the center of each pavlova and top with the fruit and a scattering of toasted almonds.

STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB ROLLED PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Pavlova: Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush a 9-by-12 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet (quarter sheet pan) with butter. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides; butter parchment. Whisk egg whites with salt on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes.
• Continue whisking, gradually adding granulated sugar, until fully combined and stiff, glossy peaks form, 7 to 9 minutes more. Beat in vanilla, then cornstarch and vinegar. Spread mixture evenly into prepared sheet.
• Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake until pavlova puffs and collapses slightly, and turns golden brown and crisp on top, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool on sheet on a wire rack 5 minutes. Lightly dust top with confectioners' sugar. Turn out onto wire rack lined with a new piece of parchment, then peel off baked parchment and let cool 20 minutes more.
• Filling: Spread jam evenly over pavlova, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with sliced strawberries in a single layer. Beat cream on medium-high speed to stiff peaks, then spread evenly over berries. Starting from one long end, roll up pavlova to form a tight log (lift with parchment from rack to make rolling easier), and place on a serving platter, seam-side down. If not serving immediately, refrigerate, wrapped in parchment, up to 1 day.

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 RHUBARB RIPPLE PAVLOVAS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 140C/120C fan/gas 1. Line two large baking sheets with non-stick baking parchment. Draw eight circles, 6-8cm in diameter, on the parchment, then flip over. In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gradually whisk in the sugar until thick and glossy, then the cornflour. Pile the meringue in soft swirls onto the marked circles on the baking parchment, then bake on the lowest shelf for 1 hr until crisp on the outside and dry underneath. Cool, then gently peel off the paper. Can be made up to a day in advance, just store in airtight containers.
• Place the rhubarb batons in a large pan along with the sugar, vanilla and about 200ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook very gently until just soft. Discard the vanilla. Remove the rhubarb from the pan, reserving the cooking liquid. Purée half of the fruit with a hand blender or liquidiser, then strain into a bowl through a fine mesh sieve.
• Reduce the rhubarb cooking liquid until thick and syrupy. Leave the rhubarb and syrup to cool. Can be made up to two days ahead and chilled until needed.
• To serve, whip the cream until it just forms peaks. Carefully ripple the rhubarb purée through the cream. Plate each meringue and spoon on some of the rhubarb rippled cream. Top with the remaining batons and spoon some of the rhubarb syrup on top and around the plate.