With their delicate, crispy outside and marshmallowy centre, pavlovas are our go-to party pudding. Once you have mastered the technique of making a good meringue, you can have fun experimenting with different toppings. In this blog post we share some meringue recipe tips, and then make three of our favourite toppings for you to try.
INGREDIENTS (serves 6)
MERINGUES
175g caster sugar
3 large egg whites
Preheat the oven to 140ºC / Fan 120ºC / gas mark 1.
Crack the egg whites into a large, clean bowl and whisk until stiff. Two points to note here: firstly you need a really clean (not plastic) bowl, and secondly that even the tiniest amount of egg yolk will prevent the eggs from whisking properly. You will also find that the fresher the eggs are, the easier they are to separate. Whisk the egg whites until they are firm but be careful to not over-whisk them. They are ready when you can turn the bowl upside down without the eggs sliding out.
Once the eggs have reached this desired consistency, you can slowly add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, whilst continuously whisking the egg whites. When all the sugar is added you will have a firm, glossy meringue mixture which is ready to bake!
Spoon the meringue mixture to form 6 circles on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for approximately 1 hour. The meringues should be very lightly coloured and crispy on the outside by this time. Turn the oven off but leave the meringues undisturbed in the oven for a further hour.
Once your meringues have completely cooled, you can store them in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. We’d recommend adding the toppings to the meringues just before eating them as the moisture from the cream or yogurt can make the meringues a bit soggy.
TOPPING 1 – TROPICAL FRUIT
Whipped Double Cream
Sliced Tropical Fruits – Kiwi, papaya, passion fruit, pineapple
For this option, simply whip the cream and slice the fruit. Dollop the whipped cream onto the meringues and add a selection of sliced tropical fruits. We also like to drizzle some passion fruit over these. And a squeeze of fresh lime adds a lovely zing to the papaya.
TOPPING 2 – RASPBERRY & PISTACHIO
Pistachios – shelled and roughly chopped
Raspberries – blended with a sprinkle of icing sugar to form a purée
Greek yogurt
Dried raspberry pieces – we found these in the baking aisle of Waitrose
Mix the slightly sweetened raspberry purée with the Greek yogurt. Dollop this pretty pink yogurt mixture onto your meringues and top with a sprinkle of pistachios and some of the dried raspberry pieces.
TOPPING 3 – FIGS & HONEY
Figs – sliced
Pistachios – shelled and roughly chopped
Honey
Greek Yogurt
Top the meringues with a large dollop of Greek yogurt, slices of juicy figs, a drizzle of honey, and a handful of pistachios. Delicious!
Written by Emma Whicheloe.