pavlova
avlova
4 egg whites (should be as fresh as possible)
good pinch of salt
1 heaped cup castor sugar (superfine sugar)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 level tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
300 ml (10 fluid oz) thickened cream, whipped
4 bananas
3 passionfruit
1 punnet strawberries
3 Kiwi Fruit (Chinese Gooseberry)
Preheat oven to hot. Cover a greased flat baking tray with grease
proof paper or a split open oven bag. Grease well with butter,
sprinkle with cornflour and tap off excess (the cornflour gives a nice
dry surface under the Pavlova). Using an 18 cm (7 inch) cake tin as a
guide, mark out a circle on the tray with a skewer.
Beat egg whites and salt until stiff. Add sugar 1 heaped tablespoon
at a time until all sugar has been added. When finished, the meringue
should be thick and shiny. Stir in vinegar, cornflour and vanilla,
stir gently then pile onto prepared tray. The mixture should stay
roughly in the marked circle, simply smooth over the top (It is
important not to make the mistake of scooping out the centre). The
mixture should be about 6 cm (2 1/2 inches) high for a good
marshmallow centre.
Drop oven temperature to very slow before placing the Pavlova in the
oven. Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven and cool for a few
minutes. Remove grease proof paper or oven bag carefully, then place
onto a flat serving plate. The centre will sink slightly as the
Pavlova cools. When cold, fill with whipped cream and top with sliced
bananas, sliced kiwi fruit and whole strawberries. Drizzle
passionfruit pulp over the top and serve. (Don't fill until right
before you serve so meringue is still crunchy) Serves 6-8.
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