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November 19, 2020

The Perfect Strawberry Pavlova

The Perfect Strawberry Pavlova

Course Dessert
Cuisine Modern Australian
Servings 8 serves

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g egg whites at room temperature around 7 eggs
  • 500 g caster sugar
  • 20 g cornflour
  • 1 tsp of white vinegar
  • 500 ml thickened cream you may not use it all
  • 2 tablespoons icing sugar to flavour the cream and and more to dust
  • 250 g strawberries sliced - or more depending on your strawberry want!

Instructions
 

  • Preheat an oven to 140°C
  • Place egg whites in a clean, dry electric mixer and add a pinch of salt
  • Whisk on medium and keep whisking until ribbons start forming on the surface (if you see peaks - stop whisking!
  • Start adding the sugar spoon by spoon to ensure it gets well incorporated into the egg white.
  • Increase the mixer speed to high. If you do this earlier you risk over aerating the mix, which can cause more cracks than you want.
  • Whip for 5 minutes, then turn off the mixer.
  • Stir in cornflour, trickle in the white vinegar and make a couple of turns with a spatula to fold it in.
  • Have a baking tray lined with baking paper ready so you can shape the pavlova immediately. If your oven has a fierce fan, dot some meringue underneath the corners of the paper so it'll stick.
  • Pile the meringue onto the tray, then run a palette knife back and forth over the top to compress it into a beehive shape. This compacts the meringue so it won't stick.
  • Run the palette knife around the meringue to give it a smooth, round shape, ensuring it has contact with the paper so it has something to spring off, then gently press down from the centre to expand it to 20cm diameter.
  • Transfer tray to oven, and immediately turn it down to 100°C. Bake for 1 hour - don't open it, don't poke it - then turn off the oven and leave the pavlova to finish cooking as the temperature slowly drops for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight. This gives it time to set and helps form a thick crust.
  • When you are ready to serve - Whip the cream to desired consistency and add icing sugar to taste. using a pallet knife cover the top of the pav with cream (how much is a personal preference), top with strawberries and dust with icing sugar. Enjoy!
Festive, Strawberry