Recipe Adapted From:
The Australian Women's Weekly: http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/freshtv/790398/pavlova
The Aus. Women's Weekly Roll Pavlova: http://aww.ninemsn.com.au/food/freshtv/783317/pavlova-roll
Joy of Baking: http://www.joyofbaking.com/Pavlova.html
Aussie-Info: http://www.aussie-info.com/identity/food/pavlova.php
So upon my very first request from a user on youtube, is to make something local to me.
That implies Taiwanese or Australian. And since I am not so experienced with asian desserts as yet, and being interested in what desserts are traditionally Aussie, I decided to research and finally settled on Pavlova.
PAVLOVA: is a traditional Australian/New Zealand meringue cake dessert that has a light and crispy crust encasing a soft and marshmallow-like center. It is usually served with whipped cream and fresh fruit on top. Tart fruits or coulis (sweetened fruit sauce) are especially suitable as they balance out the sweetness of the pavlova.
Whether it originates from Australia or New Zealand is still under debate (even though here in Australia most people assume it is Aussie), but one thing for sure is that this dessert was created in honor of a Russian ballerina that toured both countries in 1926, Anna Pavlova.
PAVLOVA ORCHARD: is my own idea, making the pavlova sticks to go around the cake that is filled with fruits, much like fencing around an orchard - hence the arrival of this name.
Meringue: is a thick, white foam composed of whipped egg whites and sugar.
*Note: When preparing meringue, always make sure the bowl you use to beat the egg whites is clean from any grease, as any form of foreign matter (traces of egg yolks or oil, etc) may prevent the egg whites from emulsifying to its full volume.
Separating egg white and yolk: This is best done when the eggs are still cold. Then place glad wrap over the surface of the egg whites and up the sides of the bowls to prevent drying out as you let it come down to room temperature (Process called 'conditioning'). As a general rule it will take around 30 minutes or so, but may vary depending on the day's temperature. Egg yolks can be covered in the same way, and stored in the fridge for another use, but eggs out of the shell do not keep as well so try to use them over the next day or two.
What does the Cornstarch & Vinegar do?
These two ingredients give Pavlova the dry, crispy crust and marshmallowy center.
I don't have castor sugar:
Castor sugar is basically a type of sugar that has finer granules than granulated white sugar, which makes it easier to dissolve into meringue. It is a better choice because when you beat to incorporate the sugar that is added after the soft peak, once you beat past the stiff peak for too long and the sugar has not yet dissolved you may eventually collapse the structure of your meringue.
If you are used to using granulated white sugar, and don't have any castor sugar around, that is fine. Simply make your own by processing 200g white sugar for around 30-60 seconds until it becomes very fine.
= TROUBLE SHOOTING PAVLOVA =
Over baked: Syrupy droplets forming on the surface of the pavlova is an indication of over baking.
Undercooked: Liquid oozing from the meringue indicates you've undercooked your pavlova.
Advice: As a general rule for both Pavlova and any meringue desserts, bake in a slow oven (low temperature, lengthened cooking time) and turning off the oven, leaving the door slightly ajar for it to cool down slowly.
*NOTE: Since pavlova needs to be baked immediately (as the batter will collapse if left for too long) and needs to remain in the switched off oven with the door open to cool slowly, if you are making two different sized batches (as this recipe is) it is suggested to finish baking and cooling one before moving onto the next.
= INGREDIENTS =
// PAVLOVA STICKS //
- 2 Egg Whites
- 110g Castor Sugar (Also known as Superfine Sugar in the US, can be made by processing granulated white sugar for 30-60 seconds until fine.)
- 1/2 Tablespoon Cornflour (also known as Corn Starch)
- 1/2 Teaspoon White Vinegar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
// PAVLOVA //
- 2 Egg Whites
- 110g Castor Sugar (Also known as Superfine Sugar in the US, can be made by processing granulated white sugar for 30-60 seconds until fine.)
- 1/2 Tablespoon Cornflour (also known as Corn Starch)
- 1/2 Teaspoon White Vinegar
- 1/4 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
--------------------------------------------
*NOTE: If you are making the normal Pavlova without the sticks, just double one of the above and use that.
CHANTILLY/WHIPPED CREAM
- 150 ml Thickened Cream (Equivalent for US is Heavy Whipping Cream)
- 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 15g Pure Icing Sugar, Sifted (Do not mix up with Icing MIXTURE, that contains cornstarch.)
---------------------------------------------
GARNISH
*You may use any fruit you like and as much as you want, below is just a guide to make my version.
- 8 Regular Sized Strawberries, whole.
- 8 Regular Undamaged Canned Peach, well drained.
- 10 Blueberries of Uniform Size.
- Strawberry (Or any flavor) Coulis, thawed and refrigerated.
Link to Recipe -->
----------------------------------------------
= METHOD =
PREPARATION:
- Separate the egg whites and yolks of 2 eggs whilst they are still cold. Place glad wrap over the surface of the egg whites and up the inner sides of the bowl to prevent drying and formation of a film over the surface. Let the egg whites sit for 30 minutes or more to come to ROOM TEMPERATURE.
Wrap the the yolks in the same way and store in fridge for other uses.
- Preheat oven to very slow (low temp) 100~120°C (212~248F), temperature varies depending on the strength of your oven. My oven is a bit strong, so I will be setting it to 100°C (212F). Place rack in center of oven.
- Wrap baking paper around the outside of a 10~15 cm diameter cake pan to measure the length of the sides of the pan (spring form, loose base, or normal cake pans will all work). Remove however much baking paper you needed to go around.
- Using a ruler, measure the height of the cake pan and add 2 cm to the result, mark it out with a marker on the previous sheet of baking paper you removed, and cut off the excess baking paper. You should end up with a long strip that just wraps around the side of the pan, and is 2 cm higher than the top.
Measure and cut another strip about half the length of the first one.
- Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Lay the first strip on the top half of the tray and leave enough space on the bottom half for the half strip, using a thin marker mark the outline of each strip on the sheet of baking paper. Flip sheet with the marked side down on the baking tray. This will be used as a guide for piping pavlova sticks so we will have enough to make a fence around our pavlova cake.
*NOTE: Keep the strip as we can still use it for the pavlova cake.
PAVLOVA STICKS:
- To start, check by touching the center of the bottom side of your bowl to see if the egg whites are at room temperature. If they still feel cold place the bowl in a larger bowl of hot (NOT boiling) water to bring the temperature down faster, or wait for longer for it to come down to room temp. by itself.
*Note: Egg whites need to be in a bowl without any grease or foreign matter to reach its full volume, and also need to be at room temperature to achieve this.
- In a clean bowl, add the egg whites and beat on medium speed until it forms a soft peak (When the egg whites just lose their yellow and become white with very small, transparent bubbles still visible. It should become fluffy without liquids on the side of your bowl and leave less than the amount of your finger tip on the beater when you pull them out. Or, you can scoop a little on your rubber spatula and gently drop it on top of the rest and it should gently sit on top like a small, soft mound.
Video demonstration the stages: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVcNDhwwFB8
- Once the egg whites reach soft peak stage, start adding sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating at high speed for around 5 seconds between each addition. This should give sufficient time to let the sugar dissolve before you add more. Repeat this procedure until all sugar has been added. Then continue to beat for 10 seconds and stop. Lift up the egg whites with your beater and what you are looking for is a peak that holds its shape, but the tips of the peak droop slightly. They should look moist and glossy as well. There should be a thick mound gathered near the top of the beater too. If you are not at the stiff peak stage yet, continue to beat and stop to check, it should not take very long so be careful to not over beat it.
- Once you reach the stiff peak stage, stop beating and using a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl in case some sugar granules are on the sides, keep some whites on your spatula. Using your finger take some of the egg whites and rub it between your fingers. If it feels gritty that means the sugar granules are still there and you need to beat a bit more. If it's smooth it's ready to be used! Just to be sure, I like to also check the whites on the side of the bowl by taking some from the spatula saved from before. If it feels bit gritty give a few more seconds beating. Otherwise, let's start piping!
- First prepare a small bowl of water, and in it a small knife or palette knife. Take a 1 cm plain piping tip (tip that is just round) and gently drop it head in to your piping bag, close the bag with your hand tightly and flick it downwards hard. The tip should be sitting snugly in place now.
- Fold outwards around 1/4 length of your piping bag, and scoop the egg whites in. You can scrape your spatula along the inner folded edge to clean it of egg whites. Now unfold the edges and twist till it feels tight and there are no air bubbles in there.
- PIPING: This is how you can hold your piping bag. Taking the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand, and loosely wrap it around the twist you made on the piping bag, resting your palm under the piping bag. Now that you're in position, when you squeeze this hand, depending on how much pressure you put, the batter that comes out will be of different thickness. When the batter is not so thick you won't have to press too hard. If you are not confident you can test on a plate or somewhere else first to try to get a feel for how hard you want to press. Now the other hand should just rest palm up under towards the tip of piping bag to guide the position of your piping and how fast you want to move.
- Now take the tray with the marked strip guides from before, turn it on an angle so one corner is facing your body. This should make it easier for you to see what you are piping when you are piping sticks or log shapes. At a 45 degrees angle, starting from the furtherest away from you, pipe sticks of pavlova along the edge of the height side of the guide (short side of the rectangular strip). Use the small knife or palette knife that is in the bowl of water, scrape off excess water and use it to cut the end of your stick from the piping tip, as the batter can be a bit sticky. Leaving a 5 mm or so gap between each stick should be sufficient. Try to keep them the same length to have a tidy fence for your cake. Do the same for the second strip. If you have anymore batter, make more sticks until there is none left. Then gently dab your finger in water and smooth the ends of each stick where you cut off from the piping bag so they look like smooth sticks. Don't make them too wet though.
- Bake them for 40~45 minutes until the outside is dry, and a pale cream colour. If it still looks a bit wet give it a bit longer. It will feel slightly firm to the touch when pressed gently. Once baked, turn off the oven, and leave the door slightly ajar. Let it cool down completely in the oven, and as it cools it will crack slightly to reveal the marshmallowy center.
- Once cooled, remove from oven. Pavlova is fragile so be mindful when removing them from the baking paper. Gently spread your fingers across the long side of the stick, whilst the other hand holds the edge of the baking paper. Gently peel a little at a time and it should come off easily.
- Place the sticks in a clean, dry and airtight container whilst you make the pavlova cake. Store them in a cool, dry place and it should keep for a few days. This will be handy if you don't plan on making both the sticks and pavlova cake on the same day.
PREPARATION II:
- Separate the egg whites and yolks of 2 eggs whilst they are still cold. Place glad wrap over the surface of the egg whites and up the inner sides of the bowl to prevent drying and formation of a film over the surface. Let the egg whites sit for 30 minutes or more to come to ROOM TEMPERATURE.
Wrap the the yolks in the same way and store in fridge for other uses.
- Preheat oven to very slow (low temp) 100~120°C (212~248F), temperature varies depending on the strength of your oven.
- Take the marked strip from before and hold it on top of a new sheet of baking paper and cut a slightly longer strip to line the sides of the 10~15 cm cake pan. Place the base of the cake pan over the top of the remainder baking paper and cut out a circle of baking paper to line the base of the cake pan.
- Lay a baking tray with a sheet of baking paper and place the base of the cake pan at the center. Mark around the cake pan to get a circle as a guide for the size of the pavlova cake. Reverse the marked sheet of baking paper so the marked side is down on the tray. Set the cake pan aside.
PAVLOVA CAKE:
- In a clean bowl, add the egg whites and beat on medium speed until it forms a soft peak (When the egg whites just lose their yellow and become white with very small, transparent bubbles still visible. It should become fluffy without liquids on the side of your bowl and leave less than the amount of your finger tip on the beater when you pull them out. Or, you can scoop a little on your rubber spatula and gently drop it on top of the rest and it should gently sit on top like a small, soft mound.
Video demonstration the stages: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVcNDhwwFB8
- Once the egg whites reach soft peak stage, start adding sugar one tablespoon at a time, beating at high speed for around 5 seconds between each addition. This should give sufficient time to let the sugar dissolve before you add more. Repeat this procedure until all sugar has been added. Then continue to beat for 10 seconds and stop. Lift up the egg whites with your beater and what you are looking for is a peak that holds its shape, but the tips of the peak droop slightly. They should look moist and glossy as well. There should be a thick mound gathered near the top of the beater too. If you are not at the stiff peak stage yet, continue to beat and stop to check, it should not take very long so be careful to not over beat it.
- Once you reach the stiff peak stage, stop beating and using a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the bowl in case some sugar granules are on the sides, keep some whites on your spatula. Using your finger take some of the egg whites and rub it between your fingers. If it feels gritty that means the sugar granules are still there and you need to beat a bit more. If it's smooth it's ready to be used! Just to be sure, I like to also check the whites on the side of the bowl by taking some from the spatula saved from before. If it feels bit gritty give a few more seconds beating. Otherwise, it's done!
- Now take the cake pan lined with baking paper and fill the beaten egg whites up close to the brim of the baking paper around the inner sides of the pan. Spin the cake pan to even out the batter (if you drop the cake pan the air you beat into the egg whites will escape.)
- Taking the baking tray lined with the marked sheet of baking paper, aiming for the circle you have marked, place the cake pan upside down over the circle (base of the pan facing up). Now remove the cake pan and the pavlova should roughly hold the shape of the cake pan. Gently and carefully peel off the baking paper around the sides and top of the pavlova.
- Using an offset spatula gently smooth the top. Then smooth the sides of the pavlova.
- Using a large spoon, in a swirling motion on the top of the pavlova from outside going inwards towards the center, start applying very small amount of pressure to create a vague well. It does not need to be deep, just enough so that the edges of the pavlova are a tiny bit higher than the center (Maybe 3 mm deep). This is for placing whipped cream and the fruits so they don't droop around the sides.
- Check the sides against the cake pan if they are relatively straight, if they are too sloped it may be hard to line the pavlova sticks around it.
- Once ready, bake them for 45~50 minutes until the outside is dry, and a pale cream colour. It should be firm when you gently press on the surface, and if lightly tap it it will sound a bit hollow/light. If it still looks a bit wet give it a bit longer. Once baked, turn off the oven, and leave the door slightly ajar. Let it cool down completely in the oven, and as it cools it will crack slightly to reveal the marshmallowy center.
- Once cooled, remove from oven. Pavlova is fragile so be mindful when removing them from the baking paper. Gently spread your fingers across one of the stick, whilst the other hand holds the edge of the baking paper closest to it. Gently peel a little at a time and it should come off easily. You can do half and switch to the other side if you worry it might break. Then place it on a serving plate whilst you whip the chantilly cream.
= CHANTILLY/WHIPPED CREAM =
In a clean bowl (easier to use narrow bowls with narrow sides), add the thickened cream (or heavy cream for the US), Place the bowl inside another larger bowl filled with chilled water. You can use chilled water, or just add cold water and some ice cubes to make it cold before putting your bowl of cream in.
*NOTE: Unlike egg whites, whipped cream whips to its full volume when it is cold.
- Since we are using pure icing sugar and it dissolves easily compared to castor sugar, we can actually add the icing sugar and flavoring all at once to the cream then begin to beat it.
- Beat the cream on medium speed first to prevent the cream from flying everywhere.
- Once it thickens and you can see a slight trail starting to form, turn the speed up to high. Once you see a trail that lasts for about 3 seconds before disappearing stop, you have reached the soft peak stage. To double check simply lift the beater and let some cream drop back onto the rest in the bowl, and it should form a small mound. This won't take long at all on high speed so be careful not to whip pass soft peak stage.
- Now what I like to do is switch over to the whisk for more control, if you want to stay with the machinery just make sure you keep an eye on it. We are not looking for a stiff peak as this dessert is served with softly whipped cream. So something that is kind of semi-whipped but firm. The signs to look for are that when you whisk around the bowl the trail or streaks formed from your whisk should stay in place and be fairly visible. And it should easily clutch onto your whisk and stay a firm peak when you flick the cream on the whisk against the sides of the bowl. It should be white and still smooth with moisture. If it is liquid it means you are below the stage, and if it is yellow in colour and dry with holes in the texture, it means you have over whipped and separated your cream into butter.
Your SOFTLY whipped chantilly cream is now ready to be used! If you are whipping to cover a cake then you may want to take it a little further just so that the peak is firm and just barely curling at all.
*NOTE: Do not continue beating or the cream will eventually separate and curdle. And overly beaten whipped cream does not taste that good either.
- You can use immediately or if you don't plan on using it straight away transfer to a clean, airtight container and chill in the fridge. If left out for too many hours cream can go bad, but also become slightly runny and don't hold shapes as well. Make sure you cover it in the fridge as it will dry out.
= TO SERVE =
- Do not add whipped cream and fruits until within one hour of serving, as pavlova begins to soften and collapse once you add these to it. The dessert only holds for a few hours.
- Place pavlova cake on a serving plate.
- Now take your strawberries, rinsed quickly, dried with paper towel and remove the stems. Drain the canned peaches of the syrup or juice from the can and set aside. Wash the blueberries and place on a plate lined with paper towel to remove excess water.
- Using a small offset spatula (big or medium is fine too and it doesn't have to to be offset but being smaller and also offset makes the the job easier.) scoop a small dab of whipped cream and apply to one area of the sides of the cake. Smudge it by moving your wrist in a motion from side to side as you go from top half of the side to the lower half. Repeat until you cover around all the sides of the cake. Then with your offset spatula on a 45 degrees angle against the surface of the sides of the cake, gently drag along it to remove excess cream and smooth the sides at the same time. This should leave you a thin smooth layer of cream just enough to stick the sticks on without oozing out when you push the stick onto the cream. Pick the best looking sticks and begin to position them on the sides of the cake like a fence, pressing them onto the cream firmly to ensure that they stick. Repeat and work your way around fitting each pavlova stick right next to each other with as little gap as possible. Eventually you should have made a fence all the way around the sides of the cake, with some sticks to spare.
- Using a plain tip (10~12 mm tip or so is good for the job), and pipe in a circular motion from center outwards. You may add a second layer if you prefer more cream, but I think this is enough since the pavlova is quite sweet.
- Place one whole strawberry at the center of the pavlova cake. Then place whole strawberries around the edge near the pavlova sticks, leaving a little bit of space so the strawberry doesn't push the sticks and make them fall. Then in the thin gap between the strawberries around the edge and the center, start placing drained canned peaches one by one horizontally around the circle with curved side down into the gap, leaving space for a blueberry between each.
- Finally place the blueberries in position between the peaches.
- Drizzle strawberry (or any flavor) coulis over your fruits in a zig zag pattern.
- If your coulis was frozen, just scoop the amount needed into a bowl and microwave it or heat it in a pot. Then place in a new container and chill in the fridge until using if you like it cold.
- To drizzle, you can use a squeeze bottle with a thin nozzle, or put coulis in a ziplock bag, lock it and snip a small hole off one corner to use as an easy piping bag. Or just use a spoon to drizzle it.
*NOTE: It looks ugly if you overdo the sauce, so be reserved with the drizzle, and serve the rest in a little sauce dish or bowl so your guests can just add more when they need it.
- Finally, you can tie a ribbon around the pavlova stick fence gently to make it look nicer too :)
OTHER FLAVORS:
- Any fruit will do as garnish, but tart ones do exceptionally well to balance out the sweetness of the Pavlova.
- You may even just use the passionfruit pulp to cover the top of the cake with whipped cream and serve it that way. The passionfruit pulp is simply the scooped out content of the passionfruit. Juice and seeds.
- Some people have developed chocolate variations of pavlova.
= STORAGE =
- Pavlova keeps well in cool, dry places in an airtight container. However, if you have already decorated with fruit and whipped cream, it will not be nice to eat second time. So it is better to just finish it all at once. That is why I made a smaller size :)
Congratulations on spending so much time and effort and having so much patience to complete this recipe. I hope you are pleased with this delicate Pavlova Orchard that I came up with. It may have been a bit too time consuming - but it does elevate the looks and taste of this Aussie dessert.
Hope you enjoy it!
Or leave a comment on my FB page: http://www.facebook.com/Cookake
Subscribe to my youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/pkkaster
No comments:
Post a Comment