Pavlova

Pavlova is a New Zealand institution.  Growing up, it wouldn’t have been a special occasion without the presence of a large pavlova laden with whipped cream and covered in the almost obligatory sliced kiwifruit.  It has become a national emblem!

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C or 170˚C Fan.
2. Prepare the baking tray.  Line the tray with baking paper and trace a circle around a 20cm plate.
   
3. Separate the eggs.  The safest method is to use three bowls.  Two large bowls – one for the collective whites and one for the collective yolks – and a smaller bowl to crack each egg over one by one.  This way, if you accidentally get any egg yolk into the white you only have to throw out one egg, rather than a whole bowlful of carefully separated whites!  Egg yolk is the enemy of meringue!!  Even one tiny speck and the whites will not whip up properly.
   
4. Now to whisk the egg whites.  You can do this with either a free standing mixer or with handheld beaters.  It will take a lot longer if you use beaters and requires more patience but the end result will be the same if you don’t have a mixer.  Put the egg whites and the salt into a large (very clean) mixer bowl or into any large bowl if using beaters.  Using the whisk attachment or beaters, beat until peaks have formed.  This should take around 3-5 minutes.
   
5. With the mixer or beaters going at medium speed, scatter the sugar over the whites a spoonful at a time.  You want lots of air to be incorporated so don’t just dump all the sugar in at once.  This should take around 5 minutes.
   
6. Once all the sugar has been added, scrape down the sides and beat for a further minute.
7. The meringue should look very white and glossy and be thick and firm and hold a “stiff peak”.  In other words, if you lift the whisk attachment or beaters up, the mixture should pull upwards and hold in that position.
   
8. Add the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla extract and gently fold them in to the meringue mix with a spatula or spoon.  Do this slowly and gently as you don’t want to knock air out of your meringue.
      
9. Dab a little of the meringue mix in each corner of the baking tray, turn the baking paper over so the circle is on the underside but visible through the paper and stick it down on the meringue.  This will keep it in place while you fashion the pavlova shape.
     
10. Using two spoons and/or a spatula, put spoonfuls of the mixture into the centre of the drawn circle and construct a mound.  I prefer a pavlova with a smaller diameter but one that is very high and marshmallowy in the centre, so I tend to construct a mound that is smaller than the drawn circle – roughly 18cm diameter.  The pav will spread a little on cooking and will end up at the drawn mark.  When you have a mound shape, use the spoons or spatula to flatten the top slightly and smooth around the sides.  The pavlova won’t rise, so the shape you put in the oven will be roughly what comes out.
     
11. Put the tray in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 130˚c fan or 140˚c convection.  Cook, without opening the door (or the pav will sink) for 2 hours.
12. At the end of the cooking time, turn the oven off and let the pav sit until the oven is cold.  The pavlova can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days so you can easily make it a day or so before you need it.  Do not panic if the pavlova develops crevasse like fractures while it cooks.  This can happen from time to time (as indeed it did in the one pictured here).  It will still taste fabulous and you can cover a multitude of sins with lashings of whipped cream!

To finish the Pavlova, whip the cream until it can hold soft peaks.  You want it firm enough that it won’t run down the sides of the pav once the topping is added, but not so firm as to be “dry”.

You can cover the top with whatever you want really.  Possibilities include sliced kiwifruit (the traditional New Zealand topping), berryfruit (a Summer favourite), grated chocolate, cherries dipped in egg white and caster sugar and allowed to dry and crystallise, chopped pistachios or hazelnuts, or chopped macadamia brittle.

Pavlova Wreath

To make a Pavlova in the shape of a Christmas wreath, follow the steps above. At step 2 draw around a 26cm round dinner plate and in the centre of this circle, draw around a 9cm plate or bowl.   At step 9, spoon the egg white mixture in a ring shape between the two circles. At step 10, cook the pavlova for 1 hour and 20 minutes only (as the pavlova is less dense with the hole in the middle so will cook a little more quickly).  Continue following the instructions above

To decorate the pavlova wreath, cover it with whipped cream and then top with mixed berry fruit and mint leaves and put a ribbon at the front.