Hi everyone and welcome back.
Today we’re making something that is a staple at every kiwi Christmas here in New Zealand,
a Pavlova. It’s not just a dessert for Christmas, but they are always around this time of year
so I though I would teach you how to make one. If you haven’t had pavlova before,
it’s kind of very different to anything else, the closest thing that it can be compared
to is meringue but even then it’s quite different. It has a hard shell but then inside
it’s soft and light, it's topped with whipped cream and usually some sort of fruit. So if
you would like to learn how to make this classic New Zealand dessert then lets get started.
Like meringue a pavlova is made out of egg whites, so we’re starting off by separating
6 medium sized eggs. Make sure they are at room temperature, if you store your eggs in
the fridge just get them out an hour or so before you are going to use them. It’s really
important that you use a completely clean bowl for this and no yolk gets in the white
or the egg whites won’t take on as much air and reach the required volume. Reserve
the yolks for something else like this creme brûlée recipe or lemon curd, just place
them in the fridge and they will last 2-3 days.
You can either use a stand mixer or a hand mixer for this recipe, but if you do have
one I would recommend a stand mixer. There is a lot of beating in this recipe and your
arms can get sore very quickly.
Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat until they form stiff peaks. Make sure
the peak doesn’t fall at all, if it does it needs to be beaten a little longer.
Measure out your sugar. I’m doing this now but it’s a good idea to have all of your
ingredients pre measured out before you start the process of beating the egg whites as they
tend to fall with time. Make sure to use castor sugar, or a fine sugar as this tends to dissolve
a lot easier than standard sugar.
Start to add the sugar to the egg whites a spoonful at a time, beating extremely well
in-between each addition. The egg whites will start to turn from a frothy pile, into a smooth
shiny whipped consistency. Do this very gradually or you can risk deflating the egg white. It’s
probably going to take about 10 minutes to fully add all of the sugar so be patient.
When there is only the last of the sugar to add measure out the cornflour, or cornstarch
and add this to the egg whites at the same time. Beat until it has fully dissolved. You
can check this by taking some of the mixture in between your fingers, if it feels gritty
it needs to be beaten for longer, if it’s smooth its fully dissolved. The cornflour
acts as a stabiliser in this recipe so make sure you don’t forget to add it.
Pavlova is usually flavoured with some vanilla extract, add a teaspoon along with white vinegar
and boiling water. Beat everything together for a further minute. You’ll be left with
something that closely resembles a cloud. It will be smooth, silky, pure white, and
glossy, but also extremely sticky so try to not get it all over your hands.
This can be made into one big pavlova, or little individual ones. Spoon all the pavlova
mixture into a pile on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Now try your best to turn
it into a circle. If it’s easier you can draw a circle on the baking paper beforehand,
but pavlovas are meant to look a little messy so if it’s not entirely even don’t fret
at all. You can smooth out the sides or leave it with a little texture, both look great.
Place into a 110 degree Celsius or 230 degree Fahrenheit oven for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
When the pavlova has finished baking turn the oven off and leave it too cool for at
least 3 hours or until the oven is cold. During this whole process do not open the oven door
at all, even to just check it or anything. Sudden temperature changes can cause the pavlova
to collapse in the middle which is a pretty common outcome. Just leave it alone for as
long as possible.
When the pav is completely cool remove it from the oven and place on a serving plate
or cake stand. It should feel quite hollow and light and easily be picked up from the
baking tray. Cover the top in whipped cream and top with fruit of your choosing. I’m
using strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. This pavlova can be made a day a head of time,
just store it in an airtight container and top with the whipped cream when you are ready
to serve. I hope you enjoyed this video, for more dessert recipes check out this video
for how to make Creme Brûlée. Thank you for watching and I will see you in my next
video. Bye.