DragonWarden
  • Adventures
  • The Oven
  • The Un-Tea Party
  • Secret Ingredients
  • About

Pavlova

7/20/2020

0 Comments

 
I've avoided meringues for most of my life as 1) I had some strange misguided prejudice against them because they reminded me of macarons (and I don't like macarons) and 2) everyone always exclaims how hard it is to make a meringue. However, I was finally tossed right into the pool and it was sink or swim when I committed to making an elaborately fancy cake that used Italian meringue in its frosting ... and I discovered that all of my preconceptions were completely false.

I managed to make the pavlova on the first try. It was not without a few hiccups along the way, but there were plenty of tips and tricks on the internet and I not only salvaged it but it became a week-long hit at multiple households. So, don't be intimidated by the meringue's reputation! In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that it takes a really long time of holding the beaters, I would say this was totally an easy-peasy rating, and you can dress it up with all manner of fanciful and beautiful treats, such as a tangy lemon curd and sweet strawberries.
Picture
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1 cup sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 250 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Whip egg whites in a large bowl until uniformly frothy. While whipping, add a few spoonfuls of sugar. Whip until the soft peak stage, then add another few spoonfuls of sugar while whipping. Continue until all the sugar has been added, then continue whipping until the stiff peak stage and the meringue is thick and glossy.
  3. Place 6 dollops of meringue on the baking sheet. Use the back of a spoon to shape the meringues and create a slight well in the centers.
  4. Bake for one hour, turn off the oven, and then prop open the door with a wooden spoon until completely cooled.
Notes: This is one recipe where you can't get away with just reducing the sugar. The sugar is necessary to help the meringue hold its structure. There will be some inevitable cracking once the meringue starts to cool down and settle - it will crack slightly less if you let it cool down gradually by keeping it in the oven and letting the heat escape gradually.

If you add the sugar too quickly, the meringue will not firm up, so best method is to get it to the soft peak stage, add sugar, then get it back to the soft peak stage again if it has collapsed, add sugar again, etc. If it's a humid day and it seems to need a little extra help, you can add a bit of lemon juice or cream of tarter at the frothy stage. You can also separately whip one egg white to stiff peak stage, then fold it into the main bowl and then whip the entire bowl, and it should firm up better than before.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Sweet Enough

    Part of the reason I started baking was because I like my goodies to be less obviously sweet - I want to taste the flavor, not just the sugar. So most of these recipes will have the sugar dialed down.

    This site also acts as my mobile recipe box, so instructions are often pared down to a minimum - very few frills but for some hints and suggestions!

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Alcohol
    Almond
    Apple
    Avocado
    Baklava
    Banana
    Bars
    Biscotti
    Blackberry
    Blueberry
    Bread
    Buttercream
    Cake
    Candy
    Carrot
    Cheese
    Cherry
    Chicken
    Chickpea
    Chinese
    Chocolate
    Cider
    Cobbler
    Coconut
    Coconut Milk
    Cookie
    Corn
    Cranberry
    Cream
    Cream Cheese
    Creme Brulee
    Crumb
    Crust
    Cupcake
    Custard
    Dates
    Decoration
    Dip
    Dough
    Doughnut
    Dumpling
    Easy Peasy
    Egg
    Filling
    Flowers
    Frosting
    Fruit
    Garnish
    Gelee
    Granola
    Green Tea
    Honey
    Ice Cream
    Icing
    Jam
    Lamb
    Lemon
    Lime
    Lobster
    Lotus Seed
    Macaron
    Mango
    Marshmallow
    Meringue
    Mochi
    Muffin
    Nectarine
    Nutella
    Nuts
    Oat
    Oats
    Onion
    Orange
    Pancake
    Panna Cotta
    Peach
    Peanut Butter
    Pear
    Pecan
    Phyllo
    Pie
    Pistachio
    Plum
    Popsicle
    Pound Cake
    Pumpkin
    Quiche
    Raspberry
    Red Bean
    Rhubarb
    Rice
    Ricotta Cheese
    Rugelach
    Sauce
    Savory
    Scone
    Sesame
    Shortbread
    Soup
    Sponge
    Sponge Cake
    Strawberry
    Streusel
    Tahini
    Tart
    Tofu
    Topping
    Torte
    Vegetable
    Vinaigrette
    Walnut
    Watermelon
    Yogurt
    Zucchini

    Archives

    September 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    October 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    April 2017
    July 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014

© 2019 Jacqueline Teng | DragonWarden