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FlickrSimple meringue pavlova
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
- 4 medium free range eggs
- 250ml double cream
- 200g caster sugar
Preparation
You'll need 4 medium eggs. free range is best. preferably leave them to stand out of the fridge for a little while before you start making the meringue; this will make them easier to whisk.
separate the whites from the 4 eggs into a large mixing bowl. you won't need the yolks, so either bin them or use them for something else.
don't put each egg white into the mixing bowl straight away, but put it in a smaller bowl first. then carefully remove any small bits of shell, yolk etc that might have got into the white, before transferring it into the mixing bowl.
whisk the egg whites until the whole mixture turns white and fluffy. you should be able to form soft white peaks in the mixture that more or less retain their shape; the consistency is sort of like foam from bubble bath (but tastier).
start adding in the sugar to the whisked egg whites. i do it pretty slowly, about a spoonful at a time, and giving it a good whisk after each spoon. some recipes suggest putting in about half the sugar, whisking then adding the other half and whisking again, but i find if i put in too much, the mixture is in danger of collapsing. you probably will have better results quicker if you're using an electric whisk at this stage. eventually you'll get a consistency like very thick paint. use all the sugar.
cut out two greaseproof paper circles for the size of meringue you want (about 8 inches diameter). if you're using round cake tins to bake them in, use the tin as a guide for the circle. you can also just use a normal baking sheet to put them on, the mixture is thick enough that it will hold its shape without collapsing in the oven. put the paper circles down onto whatever baking tray/cake tin etc you're using, and spread half the mixture onto each circle. try and smooth it out to be roughly flat. bake in the oven at about 100 - 110 celsius for about 1 hour. it shouldn't need much more than that. turn the oven off and leave the door open for a while to allow them to cool.
so now you've got two meringue halves, and chances are one of them came out looking better than the other one. make that one the top.
while the meringues have been cooling, beat the double (or whipping) cream until it is thick. double cream takes a bit of beating, but then turns thick very suddenly. once the meringues are completely cooled (leave them in the fridge for a while if need be), spread the cream mixture onto one of them and place the other meringue on top.
you can keep it as simple as that, or mix things into the cream (or even the eggs) for flavour. in this one, i put in some coffee essence (dissolve a spoon of coffee granules with a very small amount of water) and chopped walnuts into the cream. stick the whole thing into the fridge until you're ready to serve it.
slice up the meringue into generous portions and enjoy!
Comments
ooooh, pavlova! It makes me want to be a grand opera-singer!
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