Session #1: Dessert - Pavlova

Believe it or not, it was the first time all of us had a taste of a pavlova. We had never seen a real one, let alone saw one being baked but we baked it anyway. It was not that hard but it was not easy either as we did not know if the eggs were over beaten or were they still under beaten. Had to call my cousin in Aussie and BBM her the pic to ensure we were on the right track.


Anyway, here is how we made this pretty pavlova. It was originally from allrecipes but we changed here and there where we deemed fit.


Ingredients
4 egg whites
2 cups white sugar (original recipe asks for less but most websites called for 2:1 for eggs and sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 can whipped cream
strawberries for decoration

Directions:


1. Beat the egg whites until stiff but bot dry. Gradually add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Overbeaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients. Be absolutely sure not a particle of grease or egg yolk gets into the whites (this is very IMPORTANT). 

2. Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice and cornstarch.
3. Spoon mixture on the baking tray (we used non-stick tray instead of parchment paper as per original recipe). Working from the centre, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center.

4. Bake for 1 hour at 150ºc in a preheated oven. (DO NOT open the oven door before it is done, else it will collapse and become a pancake instead ;p  After it is done, let the oven door slightly ajar and let it cool in the oven)

(We baked for more than 1 hour hence the brown colour. It should be white. Noticed the bubble? We thought the existence of the bubbles means that it was not done yet but we were wrong. The bubbles were cooked and not soft.)

5. Spray the whipped cream on top of the pavlova and decorate with fresh berries. (It was a big MISTAKE to use canned peach as they are wet though we have already strained them. It melted our whipped cream. And make sure the room is cool enough too)


The pavlova was very sweet! I was told it is meant to be sweet so maybe we should have stick to 1 1/4 cup sugar as per original recipe. But if you have enough berries, it should complement the pavlova well. Ours was not enough. But I still love it to bits! 


P/S: Some part of the pavlova reminds me of the honeycombs in the Crunchie bar.