Pavlova, anyone...?

Pavlova, pavlova...its look is so tempting, and I bet, once you see it, you really want it.

I saw Pavlova on the Internet by accident and had my very first Pavlova (from Serai Empire Subang) not long after. It's quite pricey though and I wonder...

After got my KitchenAid Pro 5 mixer (thank you my dearest darl), my baking skill suddenly sparked (sounds so fake & so materialistic...;-p). My first attempt of baking was using the standard Pavlova recipe (23cm diameter) which I've forgotten how small my "amateur oven" is. However, my convection microwave seemed to save the day as it fits the size, pheeewwww. After doing the meringue mixture, it's baking time... I was so happy with the result, it's shiny & glossy. This is how Pavlova supposed to look like. I've made it..!

Not long after (while leaving it to cool before putting whipping cream & fruits), I saw it's very first crack. My heard sank. But after checking the recipe, it says that it's normal for the meringue to crack. I was relieved.. But soon after, the crack got bigger and eventually the meringue collapsed...huhu... and when I looked through the crack, I saw that the middle part seemed to be undercooked. Arrrgghh, without further ado, I brought the meringue straight to the bin and frustrated.

I've been making few theories on the "collapsed Pavlova" and I've concluded that the convection microwave was the culprit. It was the one who failed my meringue. But I need to vouch the theory ASAP. The very next day, I made another attempt. But this time, I'm using a a half size recipe (to fit my "amateur oven) After an hour baking and heart pounding moment, I've found that my meringue didn't collapse and I've found the verdict of "collapsed Pavlova" and solved the case. And now, I'm proudly present the tried and tested Pavlova recipe for you to try it as well...

Pre-bake meringue. You have to get stiff peak & glossy meringue if not, you need to check out your recipe again...oouucchh!

Baked meringue. I added 10 more minutes to get a slightly brown hue. Your meringue must be hard when you knock on 'em.

This is it! Apply whipped cream and scatter some fresh fruits on it. Sourish fruits complement the sweet and creamy meringue.

The middle part must be marshmallowy - sponge like texture...

I am so ready to attack this Pavlova after this shot! Sooo tempting...


EASY-MEASY PAVLOVA
(adopted from Hensells Easy Pavlova on Youtube.com)

4 eggs white (room temperature)
2 cups of Caster Sugar
1 tbsp of Cornflour
1 tsp of white vinegar
1 tsp of Vanilla Essence + 1 Vanilla Pod (if you have one..!)

Direction:
Prepare parchment paper and draw 23cm diameter circle with pencil. Turn over the parchment upside down so that you can see the pencil mark for your guidance. We don't want the pencil lead flavour to our meringue right..?

Pre-heat oven to 180oC.

Add egg white & sugar into mixing bowl (yup together) and mix it gradually from medium to the highest speed for approximately 7-10 minutes until soft peaks (the condition where the mixture has fluffy texture but slightly collapse when you put it vertically). Then, add in cornflour, vinegar and vanilla essence and mix it again with the highest speed until it performs stiff peak and glossy.

Use spatula, put the mixture based on the circle drawn earlier. Once you put your meringue into the oven, immediately turn the oven temperature to 120oC and bake for 60minutes (depends on the oven). Turn off the heat and leave the meringue inside the oven until the temparature is cool.

Now the meringue is ready to be converted into Pavlova. Remove the parchment paper and put the meringue on the cakeplate. Apply whipped cream on the pavlova and decorate with fresh fruits. Since, the meringue is kinda sweet and the whipped cream is creamy, adding fresh fruits with compensate the sweetness and heaviness thus, makes the overall taste - yummieerrr.... Enjoy...

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