Linda Choi’s Pavlova
Author:
Drogo
Servings
8 - 10
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
60 minutes
Pavlova is a light and airy dessert with a crisp meringue shell and a soft, marshmallow-like centre. Named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, this elegant treat is typically topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit, such as berries, passion fruit or kiwi, adding a perfect balance of sweetness and tanginess. The delicate texture of the meringue contrasts beautifully with the luscious cream and juicy fruit, making it a showstopping dessert for any occasion. Whether served at a summer gathering or a festive celebration, Pavlova is a timeless favourite that impresses with both its simplicity and sophistication.
Ingredients
Linda Choi’s Pavlova
-
For the Meringue:
- 6 medium egg whites
- 225g caster sugar
- 5ml 1tsp cornflour
- 2.5ml 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
-
2.5ml 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
-
Linda’s Tip for a Pav with a twist is a hazelnut one, if you’d like to try this fold in 100g of ground hazelnuts to the meringue mixture.
- Simple Topping:
-
2 punnets of soft fruit: raspberries, blueberries, use strawberries or go tropical with a topping of kiwi, banana and mango.
- Icing sugar
-
Chopped mint leaves
- Rosemary leaves
-
Dark chocolate
Directions
Method
- Step 1, Preheat the oven to 150ºC / 140ºC fan / 300ºF / GM 2.
- Step 2, Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment, and draw round a dinner plate (20cm-ish circle) in the centre of the paper. Turn the paper over so the marking is underneath and won’t transfer to the meringue.
- Step 3, Place the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl and use an electric whisk (a stand mixer makes this even easier), whisking them until stiff and dry.
- Step 4, Add the sugar, a spoon at a time, whisking all the while until the mixture is smooth, glossy and holds stiff peaks.
- Step 5, Gently fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla with a large metal spoon. Just be gentle – don’t knock all the air back out.
- Step 6, Spoon the mixture onto the parchment. With the back of the metal spoon, spread it to just within the circle, making decorative swirls, leaving a shallow dip in the centre.
- Step 7, Bake for 1hr until the meringue base and sides are crisp but not browned. Leave to cool on a cake rack – cracking is totally normal as it cools.
- Step 8, Whilst it is cooking prep your topping
- for the simple version, just whip your cream until it is gently peaking and chop any large fruit into bite-size pieces.
- Step 9, Place the cooled pavlova on a large serving plate, spoon some cream on and smooth a layer across the centre.
- Step 10, Scatter a few handfuls of your fruit on the bottom cream layer.
- Step 11, Spoon the rest of the cream into the centre, spreading thickly and evenly almost to the edge.
Ingredients you'll need
