Serves 8
Oven time: 45mins
150g icing sugar
100g light brown caster sugar
4 egg whites
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white wine vinegar
500ml of whipped cream and 2tsp vanilla extract
6 plums and 200g strawberries
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 150oC/Gas Mark 2
2. Line two baking trays with baking parchment. Draw the 3 circles on a piece of parchment paper. I use a saucer, side plate then dinner plate as templates.
3. Place the icing sugar, light brown caster sugar and egg whites in a standing food mixer and whisk on high for 10 minutes until glossy white peaks form.4. Using a spatula, gently fold in the cornflour and the white wine vinegar.5. Divide the meringue mixture between the two baking trays and using a tablespoon, form three meringue discs.
6. Bake for 45 minutes, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Eggs
1. Make sure there is NO yolk in your egg whites. Separate eggs when they are cold in a separate bowl that way if a yolk slips through you can then disgard one egg white rather than the whole bunch.
2. Beat the egg whites when they are room temperature. You just need to wait c. 30 mins.
3. Don't be afraid to beat them eggs. A dessert base (such as a pavlova) you need to make sure you keep beating until you get stiff, glossy peaks.
Mixing bowls
1. Use metal or glass mixing bowls as they are best for yielding voluminous beaten egg whites. Plastic bowls can retain fat and grease which restricts the volume of the egg whites. If you only have a plastic bowl clean it a couple of times first to minimise the risk of any fat deposits being present.
Sugar
1. Add the sugar tablespoon by tablespoon at the soft-peak stage. Take your time. Undissolved sugar attracts moisture which can then ruin your meringue. With this recipe I used icing sugar rather than caster sugar and put it all in at once as the surface area is considerably greater.
Oven
1. Keep the temperature low ideally 180C/350F/Gas 4. This will ensure the gradual evaporation of moisture from the meringue. If the oven is too hot, the outside will be super crunchy but the centre will be super sticky and chewy.
2. Don't take the meringue out of the oven too soon. Keep the meringue in the oven after baking which will help to dry it out and keep it light.
For a less natural and more show-stopper of a dessert I'd suggest my Pink pavlova recipe1. Make sure there is NO yolk in your egg whites. Separate eggs when they are cold in a separate bowl that way if a yolk slips through you can then disgard one egg white rather than the whole bunch.
2. Beat the egg whites when they are room temperature. You just need to wait c. 30 mins.
3. Don't be afraid to beat them eggs. A dessert base (such as a pavlova) you need to make sure you keep beating until you get stiff, glossy peaks.
Mixing bowls
1. Use metal or glass mixing bowls as they are best for yielding voluminous beaten egg whites. Plastic bowls can retain fat and grease which restricts the volume of the egg whites. If you only have a plastic bowl clean it a couple of times first to minimise the risk of any fat deposits being present.
Sugar
1. Add the sugar tablespoon by tablespoon at the soft-peak stage. Take your time. Undissolved sugar attracts moisture which can then ruin your meringue. With this recipe I used icing sugar rather than caster sugar and put it all in at once as the surface area is considerably greater.
Oven
1. Keep the temperature low ideally 180C/350F/Gas 4. This will ensure the gradual evaporation of moisture from the meringue. If the oven is too hot, the outside will be super crunchy but the centre will be super sticky and chewy.
2. Don't take the meringue out of the oven too soon. Keep the meringue in the oven after baking which will help to dry it out and keep it light.
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