A couple of years ago, Lottie made a wonderful Pav and brought it to Sacha’s picnic birthday in Hyde Park. Everyone adored it. We photographed it and it lives here on the belly. But it was time to take the bull by the horns, interrogate her and get down to making my own. Lo and behold a Pav truly is as easy as Lottie says. I love the chewy soft foundation piled high with fresh cream and a ton of any fruit you so desire. I’ve got my hands on Lotties recipe, so read on!
PAVLOVA RECIPE
According to Lottie, this recipe is foolproof, and from todays go, I can vouch for that. Make the meringue first, let it cool, then fill it with whipped cream before adding the warm fruits at the last minute.
Serves 8-10
egg whites – 5 large ones
golden caster sugar – 300g
white wine vinegar – a teaspoonful
vanilla extract
2 heaped teaspoons cornflour
double or whipping cream -400mls
any mix of fruit you like. I used blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, rasberries and mint. Ozzies use fresh passionfruit, kiwifruit and strawberries.Set the oven at 180/Gas 4. Lightly oil a non-stick, loose-bottomed 20-21cm cake tin with almond oil – if you have it – if not then use something similarly flavourless, I used a spray oil. Line base with non-stick baking parchment.
Beat the egg whites till almost stiff, making certain there is no trace of egg yolk present. Beat the egg whites until they stand in billowing, shiny folds. The easiest way is using an electric beater. Beat in the sugar in two or three lots. Scatter over the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla and fold it gently in with a large metal spoon. Don’t over mix.
Scoop the lot into the cake tin, smooth the top level and put straight into the oven. Immediately turn the heat down to 150/Gas 3. Leave the meringue to cook, without opening the door for a full hour and 10 minutes. If the top is getting brown then turn the heat down a little further. It should be a pale honey colour. Turn off the heat and let the meringue cool without opening the door. The marshmallow centre will sink and leave high, crisp sides. It gets massively high so dont despair when it sinks, it’s meant to. Beat the cream in a cold stainless steel bowl till it sits in soft folds. Pile in the centre of the meringue. Serve with fruit and optionally, mint on top.
Here you can see the lovely sticky, thick meringue mixture ready to pour into the tin.
The demolition squad at Lola’s BBQ, devoured my pav in a matter of minutes. There’s something so light and fresh about it at the end of a BBQ meal. As you can see, this recipe creates a soft chewy, centre and a crispy crust. That’s what you want to achieve.
