The Pavlova Challenge

I am proud to say that I successfully made my very first homemade pavlova for our Le Wolfe Magique Christmas celebration.

In my mind a Christmas meal is just not complete without a traditional Kiwi pav. Crisp on the outside, soft and marshmallowy in the centre then piled high with freshly whipped cream and fruit. Yum!

Ironically I used an Australian Woman’s Weekly recipe purely because you bake the pavlova on a plate. A genius idea which eliminates the potentially risky step of transferring the pav from the baking tray to the plate.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons melted butter

2 teaspoons cornflour

5 egg whites

1¼ cups caster sugar

1 tablespoon cornflour, extra

300ml cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 punnet strawberries

1 punnet raspberries

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C. Grease a large, round ovenproof plate with melted butter, leaving a 3cm border. Sift cornflour over greased area.

2. In a large bowl beat the egg whites until frothy and soft peaks have started to form. Gradually add the sugar (I started with 1 tablespoon at a time until half was gone then added 2-3 tablespoons at a time), beating well until dissolved between additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Use a large metal spoon or spatula to fold in extra sifted cornflour.

 3. Pile the mixture into the centre of the prepared plate. Use the back of the spoon or spatula to spread out into a circle, making a shallow well in the centre.

 4. Reduce oven to 100°C just before putting in the pav. Bake in the lower half of the oven for 1½ hours  or until dry and crisp to the touch. Turn off the oven and let cool with the oven door ajar.

5. To serve, whip cream and vanilla together until soft peaks form. Spread over the cooled pavlova, top with strawberries and raspberries (of course you can decorate with any fruit you like).

For the original recipe, visit http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/8174360/classic-pavlova-baked-on-a-plate.