Pavlova!!!

Should you ever ask a person from Australia or New Zealand who makes the best or where pavlova originated, you will most likely cause a bit of a debate.  But all you really need to know is that pavlova is a most wonderful and versatile desert that is crisp and brittle on the outside and light, fluffy with a marshmallow like texture on the inside.  And the best thing about pavlova is that it uses only five ingredients and little bit of patients while it bakes.

This recipe that I am sharing with you was given to me my friend Damian O’Rourke who was the Chef at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokyo when I was working in Japan back in 2008-2009.  I have continued to use this recipe as my base for every variation that I have produced.  Like dad use to say, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, so I haven’t.

Enjoy!

Recipe: Pavlova with Kiwi & Mango Salsa

Pavlova

 6 Egg Whites

375 gr Sugar (reserve 6 Tablespoons in a separate bowl)

1 Tablespoon Corn starch

1-Teaspoon Malt Vinegar

1-Teaspoon Vanilla Essence

Topping

2-3 Ripe Kiwifruit

1 Ripe Mango

Pulp of 1-2 ripe passion fruit

Or – fresh berries with berry coulis, or other fruit of your choice

300 ml Fresh Cream

Procedure:

Pre- heat oven to 120 C or 250 F

Line a baking tray with foil.

Stiffly whip the egg whites, add 6 tablespoons of sugar and continue whipping until the mixtures is glossy and forms long peaks. Sift the corn starch with the remaining sugar and fold it into the egg whites with the vinegar and vanilla. Beat another 30 seconds.

Pile the mixture onto the foiled tray, use a ring mould to form a circle and spread the meringue smooth. Remove the ring mould and place the tray in the pre-heated oven, bake for 1¼ – 1½ hours until cream coloured and firm, but still soft inside.

Let the Pavlova cool to lukewarm then lift off the tray together with the foil and cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, invert the Pavlova onto a large plate or serving platter, peel away the foil. It can be kept covered for a few days in the fridge.

Not more than 2 hours whip the cream until soft, do not over beat. Spread the whipped cream over the top and sides of the Pavlova.  The Cream will soften the crust of the Pavlova to allow for easier slicing.

Peel & dice the Kiwifruit and Mango flesh, gently mix with the passion fruit pulp & chill before serving with a slice of Pavlova – I usually find it unnecessary to sweeten the fruit as the Pavlova contains enough sugar.