Pavlova

Debudder's Note:

This is a traditional New Zealand summer dessert, rich and sweet easy to make and very impressive. Can be made ahead and frozen for a week or 2. As yet have not found anyone who dislikes it.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 4 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornflour

Directions:

1. Beat egg whites and cornflour well with electric mixer.
2. Add vinegar and vanilla beat 1-2 minutes.
3. Add sugar gradually while beating continue beating until sugar is dissolved and mixture forms stiff peaks. This takes about 10-15 minutes, your mixture should look smooth and very glossy.
4. Moisten baking paper with a little water.
5. Spread mixture on paper about 2-3 inches deep in a circle.
6. Place in preheated oven 180 C and bake 1.1/2 hours - turn off the oven and allow to come to room temperature. Do not open the oven during the cooling as it may cause the pavlova to collapse.
7. Cover with whipped cream and decorate with either chocolate, nuts or fruit, serve either on its own or with fruit.

Reviews

[DoubletheGarlic]

I chose this particular pavlova recipe as it is almost identical to my MIL's (she uses just 1 t. vinegar) and I was serving them tonight. But your cooking method is quite different ... and this gave me hope for success this time! I was so hopeful when the batter was thick and white and glossy -- PERFECT looking ... until I baked it. It burned. I mean, brown through and through, and pretty flat. :-( [OK -- I've just looked up 5 other Pavlova recipes here, and they are all baked at lower temps and/or for less time. Also my MIL's method is to reduce the 180C temp to 120C after the first 10 min..] I think this recipe is fundamentally 5-star, but the baking time or temp NEEDS adjusting. Or perhaps it's just the way it's written. Did you mean to preheat to 180C, insert the pavlova, turn OFF the oven and let it cool down to room temp over the course of 90 min? Oi veh!

[whitewings 33]

Simple easy to use recipe.... even if there is disputes between us Aussies and our Kiwi firends over who actually invented it. I've never successfully frozen a pavlova so if its your first time, I wouldnt recomend it. In the absence of cornflour I substituted with an extra teaspoon of vinegar, the results were equaly impressive!!