I finally made a pavlova! I had some extra egg whites left over from making cupcakes the other day and figured that maybe now was finally the time to try making a pavlova. It's basically just a baked French meringue with fruit and whipped cream on top, but I don't really have any experience baking meringues on their own. I make French meringues quite a bit, but they're usually then incorporated into a cake batter or used as a pie topping. And while using it to top a pie technically results in a baked meringue, you're going for a completely different end result on a pie.

With a meringue pie you want the topping to be soft and pillow-y all the way through. With a pavlova my understanding is that it should be crisp on the outside and soft and chewy/pillow-y in the centre. I've never tried to make a meringue with that texture before. The recipe gives instructions, of course, but your oven and the exact dimensions of the meringue will affect the baking, so you can't just blindly follow the recipe.

I'm pretty happy with how this one came out. It was a bit more crispy than pillow-y, but it still had a bit of softness in the centre. I'm not sure whether it'd be better slightly reduce the baking time next time around or slightly increase the baking temperature and dramatically reduce the baking time. I'm thinking that slightly less time is probably the way to go. If nothing else, that'll give me another data point. Although I'll be baking it in a different oven next time, so who knows how that'll affect things?!

Pavlova

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

Meringue

• 3 large egg whites
• tiny pinch salt (<1/16 tsp.)
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp. vinegar
• 1 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)

Toppings

• fresh fruit or fruit compote¹
• 1 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1 Tbsp. icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 135°C (275°F) and line a baking tray with parchment paper (or a silicone baking mat).
2. Beat egg whites with salt until light and airy but not quite stiff.
3. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat.
4. Beat for another minute or so to allow sugar to fully incorporate and dissolve.
5. Reduce speed to low and beat in vanilla, vinegar, and cornstarch.
6. Pile meringue onto prepared baking tray and shape into a 20cm round with a depression in the centre.
7. Bake at 135°C (275°F) for 40-45 minutes.
8. Leave meringue in the oven overnight to cool.
9. The next day, prepare your toppings: chop the fruit and/or prepare the compote and whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla.
10. Top the meringue with fruit and whipped cream and serve immediately.

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¹ I made a simple boysenberry compote for mine: 1 (400mL) can of boysenberries + 2 tsp. cornstarch, 1/4 c. vanilla sugar, and 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice boiled until thickened. ^Back