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A
beaten egg white can foam to eight times its original volume.
Soufflés, angel food cakes, and meringue all make use
of the exceptional foaming powers of egg whites.
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Why
do egg whites foam?
Pavlova
is a lovely, light dessert made in a meringue shell. This
dessert uses only the whites of eggs. Consider making this
dish for desert when your meal includes hollandaise sauce,
which uses only egg yolks!
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Why
is this dessert called Pavlova?
Recipe
Conversions
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Note:
Recipe annotations will appear in a new window.)
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What
Do I Need?
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4 egg whites at room temperature
Why
does the temperature matter?
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2/3 cup finely granulated white sugar
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4
teaspoons cornstarch
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1/2
teaspoon white vinegar
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1
teaspoon vanilla extract
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1
cup heavy whipping cream
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approximately
1 cup fresh fruit (kiwis and strawberries are traditional)
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a
pastry bag and star tips (a pastry bag is not essential, it
just makes your meringue shell prettier)
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baking
parchment paper
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a
baking sheet
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a
bowl (glass, stainless steel, or copper is best)
Why
can’t I use a plastic bowl?
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a
mixer, an egg beater, or a wire whisk
Is
there any advantage to using a whisk?
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What
Do I Do
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1.
Set
your oven to 250º F.
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2.
Put
the egg whites in the bowl. Add the vinegar. Beat the egg
whites until fluffy.
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Why
add vinegar?
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3.
Once
the egg whites are fluffy, slowly add sugar.
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Why
not add sugar at the beginning?
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4.
When the egg whites are very stiff, add the
cornstarch and the vanilla, whisking a few more turns. Do
not overwhisk here!
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Can
overbeaten egg whites be salvaged?
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5.
Wet the baking parchment paper, crinkle it up, line the baking
sheet with it. Draw a circle on the parchment paper as a guide
for the meringue, then turn it over.
Add
a tip to your pastry bag. (Star tips, open or closed, work
well). Fill your pastry bag about half full with the egg foam
and twist it closed. Squeeze the pastry bag and make a meringue
circle about 10 inches in diameter on the wax paper. If you
don’t have a pastry bag, use a spoon to mound the meringue
on the wax paper and make a well in the middle, creating a
bowl-shaped shell.
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6.
When
your circle is done, pipe a bunch of stars along the edge. Keep
piping higher and higher until you have a nice deep bowl.
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7.
Put
the meringue in the oven. After 45 minutes, turn the heat off.
Leave the meringue in for another hour, or until it is completely
cool. You can even leave it overnight.
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8.
While
the meringue is in the oven, cut up your fruit.
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9.
Remove
the meringue bowl from the oven. Make sure it’s nice and
cool—if it’s still warm, wait and try again in a
little while.
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10.
Whisk
the cream until until it’s stiff.
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11.
Fill the meringue bowl with whipped cream and
put the fruit on top for a delicate, airy treat.
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12.
Serve
promptly, so the meringue doesn’t get soggy from the
cream.
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Uh
oh! My meringue shell broke! How can I save this dessert?
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