Pavlova

Here is the dessert that I demonstrated last night for Cooking Club. It's a really delicious dessert that would be great for Valentine's Day! The base is a meringue that is crisp on the outside and "marshmallowey-chewy" on the inside. The recipe is below and I've included all of the hints that I shared......

Pavlova-
“Hailing from Australia, this famous dessert is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It consist of a crisp meringue base topped with whipped cream and fruit such as strawberries, passion fruit and kiwi. A pavlova is usually served with fruit sauce or additional whipped cream.” taken from Food Lover’s Companion cooking guide

For the meringue:
-4 egg whites, room temperature (separate eggs while cold, then let whites sit out- if you’re in a hurry you can put the whites in a baggie and run under warm water)
-pinch of salt
-¾ cup superfine sugar (just put regular granulated sugar in the blender or food processor for about 15-20 seconds- it helps the sugar to dissolve faster in the egg whites)
-1 tsp. cornstarch
-2 tsp. vinegar (I like to use raspberry vinegar- it gives a slight flavor to the meringue)
-1 tsp. vanilla

For the cream:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, packed (I like to put the brown sugar in the cream and put it in the fridge to dissolve completely before I try to whip it)

Berry Topping:
10 strawberries, green parts trimmed-off, thinly sliced, or other berries, such as raspberries or blackberries

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees
2. Using an 8-inch bowl as a guide, trace the perimeter of the bowl onto a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer parchment paper, pencil side down, to a baking sheet. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt together at low speed for about 1 minute. It is important that all of your bowls and beaters are very clean. If there is any sort of grease there it will prevent the whites from getting a lot of volume. Starting at a slow speed starts to break up the egg whites and will help you to get more volume. Increase the speed to medium-high and whip until soft peaks form. At first, the whites will look foamy, but then they will have soft peaks. This only takes a minute or so. With mixer running, add sugar in three additions, beating until meringue is stiff and glossy. This will probably take about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in cornstarch, vinegar, and vanilla; gently fold to combine. It’s better to fold these ingredients in because it helps to keep the air in the meringue. Don’t try and mix them in with your Kitchen aid or electric hand mixer.
4. Mound the meringue in the center of the 8-inch circle. Using a spatula, evenly spread meringue out towards the edges. I like to make sure there is a bit of a well so that the cream and berries will stay on the meringue. Transfer baking sheet to oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 250 degrees. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The meringue will puff up, but as it cools, it will lose a little of that volume. The meringue will be slightly browned.
5. Instead of mounding the meringue into one circle, you can make individual servings. Just put dollops of the meringue on the parchment sheet and using the back of a spoon, make a well in the center of each meringue. These smaller servings will only need to bake for 1 hour at 250.
6. After you have finished baking, turn the oven off, leave the door shut, and let the meringues cool completely in the oven. This will take a few hours. The reason you do this is to let the meringues cool slowly and to prevent major cracking. It also helps to dry the meringue out. I like to make this meringue in the morning, keep it in the oven all day, and then assemble it when it’s dessert time! If you make the large meringue, it needs to be eaten all at once because the cream will make the meringue go soggy. But, if you make the small meringues you can store the unused ones in an airtight container for 1-2 days. If they lose their crispness, you can put them back in the oven at 300 degrees for 30 minutes, and then let them cool again.
7. Once the meringues are cooled, you can whip your cream/brown sugar mixture. Do this at high speed for a few minutes. You want to whip until medium peaks form. If you whip until it is really stiff you’ll start to make butter so don’t overdo it!
8. You’ll want to loosen the meringue from the parchment paper carefully and put it onto your serving platter. Spoon the cream in the center of the pavlova and spread out to within ½ inch of the edge. Arrange berries however you would like. To serve, slice into wedges with a serrated knife.