Pavlova

Every aspiring chef has a mythological recipe that he dreams of preparing to perfection! For us this recipe is the Pavlova, the famous cake of a New Zealand origin invented to honor the Russian ballerina star Anna Pavlova.

We have always had a reverential fear towards this delicious dessert and in the end, we gathered the courage, we tried ... and we also have proof that we have succeeded! The key to a successful pavlova is a perfet meringue!

Cooking time: 4 hours

Prep time: 20 mins

Ingredients for 8 people

What do you need?

For the meringue

• 150 g egg whites ~ about 5 egg whites at room temperature

• 300g of superfine sugar

• 30 grams of 30 of cornstarch

• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar optional. It will make the meringue stronger

• 1 pinch of kosher salt

• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar optional. It will make the meringue stronger,

• 1 tsp vinegar white wine, cider or distilled

• 1 tsp vanilla extract optional

For the granish

• Fresh whipping cream 160 g

• Icing sugar 15 g

• 1 strawberry basket.

• 1 blueberry basket.

• 1 rasperry basket.

• some mint leaves.

How to proceed?

1. Preheat the oven to 100 degrees.

2. Draw a circle of 20 centimeters on a on a piece of parchment (you can help yourself with a plate). Turn the sheet upside down on a baking tray and set apart.

3. Start by whipping the egg whites on a medium speed until medium-stiff peaks

4. Add the sugar little by little i while whisking for a couple of minutes between each addition.

5. When the eggs mixture is stiff peaks, fold in the vanilla, vinegar and cornstarch with the cream of tartar, continue to whisk for 2-3 minutes and then add the apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice); whip for another 2 minutes to obtain a very fluffy, light mixture.

6. Your meringue is ready!

7. Transfer the meringue into the circle on the parchment. With the help of a spatula shape the meringue and create the design you like.

8. Cook the meringue for four hours and at the end let it rest in the oven off with the door open. The center of the pavlova will collapse, that’s normal and this is where you will put your filling.

9. In the meantime wash and cut the fruits for garnishing.

10. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and place it in a pastry bag .

11. Once the pavolva cooled, fill teh top with Chantilly cream and decorate with strawberries, berries and some mint leaves.

Note:

Did everything go well with your pavlova? is the meringue base perfect or it has deformed?

Do not worry, it happened to us too and we found the solution: the walking Pavlova! Ideal to be taken around, at a friend's house or at a party (transporting the classic Pavlova is an even more difficult challenge than cooking it …).

For Walking Pavlova you will only need some glasses or glass jars with the cap (these are ideal for transporting), break up the meringue and pour a layer into the glass, add a layer of cream and fruit, then repeat the stratification.