pavlova

We’ve been making pav’s for at least 50 years this one comes straight from the White Wings Cornflour packet…a very different method to ours but it works!

I had a friend getting married last year and offered to make the wedding cake as my gift. After being almost childhood sweethearts, they met again on Australia Day and a whole new love affair began. Now, I would have to admit that the pav is not my greatest achievement in the culinary skills score so the request for pav was just slightly challenging….so LOL I have my dry store shopping on my office table and on the White Wings cornflour I notice a pav recipe.

I hate recipes with cups and teaspoons they are way too inaccurate for me and if you want to make 200 imagine how silly it would be to use them. So, I’ve got past the ingredients and thinking ‘so what’when I read the method and think that cannot possibly work and set it aside. Whoever thought of weighing the egg white and sugar straight into the bowl would work the idea goes total against all meringue based recipes in my repertoir..but then, I thought White Wings must sell millions of packets of their cornflour and it is impossible that their recipe would not work…and, anyway what have I got to lose a bit of sugar and some egg white that probably would have gone in the bin anyway.

Well, I’ll be…. it worked brilliantly and subsequently we have made tiny improvements, not to the recipe, but to the technique by warming the mixer bowl and egg white and powdering the caster sugar in the Thermo.

Serves 8
180g egg white at room temperature
375g caster sugar, powdered in a Thermomix
pure icing sugar works but you may need to sieve it!
18g gluten free corn flour (White Wings is a reliable brand and can be found in most supermarkets)
10g Vine Valley white wine vinegar

to finish
300ml pouring cream, whipped firm with the seeds of 1 vanilla bean
8 passionfruit, pulped
fresh fruit

Make it easy on yourself
edible rice paper…you can buy at most Chinese grocers
the Pillivuyt 35cm flat plate is brilliant you can cook the pave straight onto the plate
so you can make the pave in advance – airtight container + 2 x 35g silica gel sachets

Fill your electric mixer, mixing bowl with hot water. Stick a thermometer into your egg white blood temp about 38°C. If it is more don’t worry but if it is less by more than 3°C weigh it out and stand the container in hot water t warm it.

Drain the water from the bowl and dry it, then add the egg whites and powdered sugar. Using the balloon whisk, whisk on low speed for a minute and then on ¾ speed until the meringue is thick and glossy.

While this is happening prepare the plate with the rice paper…moisten it with a drop or two of water to hold the sheets in place and then use a 25cm ring to mark the ring.

Pre heat oven to 100°C fan forced
Scrape the meringue into the centre of the guiding circle and spread it out with a crank handle spatula making a well in the centre and sliding up the sides to decorate.

Set a timer for an hour, working quickly so as not to have to door open any longer than necessary, turn the pav and set the timer for another hour. When the timer goes, wedge the oven door open with a folded tea towel and set the timer for 2 hours.

If you are using the pav the same day, unless you are living in high humidty you can leave it uncovered at room temperature…otherwise store the pav in the airtight container with the silica gel sachets…we are testing shelf life but think 4-5 days in a cool dark place is fine.

To serve
Fill the dip with the cream and decorate with fruit…do not put the passionfruit on until you are ready to serve.