NOTE: there are two recipes to choose from Recipe 1: Passionfruit Pavlova Serves 6
- Whites of 4 large eggs - 250g caster sugar - 1 tsp vinegar - 2 tsp cornflour - 1 1/4 cups cream - 6 scoops of vanilla ice cream - 6 passionfruit
Beat egg whites until stiff, gradually adding the sugar. Beat well after each addition.
When the mixture becomes “rocky” fold in the cornflour and vinegar.
Wet an ovenproof plate or a suitable springform tin.
Spread on the egg mixture, indenting slightly in the middle and heaping up at the sides.
Bake in a very slow oven 275F (125 degrees Celsius) about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
Pavlova should be crusty on the outside but marshmallow on the inside (If storing for any length of time, however, it is best to dry it out more thoroughly). Keep in an airtight tin until ready to fill.
Fill with ice cream and cream and dribble over with passionfruit.
Alternative fillings - Cooked prunes soaked in rum, chopped and folded through the whipped cream. Use coffee ice cream instead of vanilla. - Add slices of banana and kiwifruit as well as passionfruit. - Make lemon butter with the egg yolks and spread his on the pavlova instead of the ice cream. Cover with whipped cream. - Use strawberries (sliced if large) instead of passionfruit. Recipe 2: Meringue Cake Serves 16 - 6 egg whites - 6 ozs. caster sugar - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla - 1/8 teaspoon salt - 1 teaspoon cornflour - 1 teaspoon vinegar
Beat egg whites and the salt together til stiff, but not dry.
Gradually beat in half the sugar and beat until dry, then fold in the remaining sugar, vanilla, cornflour and vinegar.
Spread in a baking pan lined with buttered paper
Bake at 275F til dry on the outside and slightly damp underneath.
Serve with fruit and whipped cream.
Notes for a modern kitchen
Australians tend to have their topping two ways – with passionfruit, or for those who might not be able to find passionfruit, with strawberries and whipped cream. Do not add sugar to the cream!
Use every trick you have in the book to get the egg white going. Make sure to let it cool and you really want the outside edges to be crispy, the inside soft and fluffy. Making it in advance will give it time to cool and set.
For inspiration (and information!) we recommend looking at: https://twitter.com/DocAndTheFrock, foremost meringue and pavlova experts.
The perfect dessert for the bake off! Although Australians and New Zealanders have argued over the origin of the Pavlova, it turns out that the ‘Pav’s’ origins belong in England and the United States.
The first attempt at finding its origin came from Professor Helen Leach who argued that the first Pavlova recipe was the Pavlova Cake from New Zealand in 1929, with the dessert named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova was a four layered jelly cake in 1926. However new research from Dr Andrew Paul Wood and Annabelle Utrecht have shown that the dish originated as a German torte that travelled to the US where it evolved into the delight we know today. As Utrecht puts it, ‘it is an international dish’, and one that reflects the partnership (and competition!) between Penn State and Monash University Library.
To represent both traditions, we have provided two recipes – almost identical – that reflect these traditions. One from 1940 called a ‘meringue cake’ and the other from the 1980s named after the iconic Anna Pavlova. Australians traditionally serve Pavlova topped with either passionfruit and cream, or strawberries and cream. New Zealanders go with diced Kiwi fruit. You can add whatever you want – take some inspiration from the Variety cookbook (and be prepared for lots of wincing!) or maybe find a chocolate mint crisp bar and sprinkle that on top.