Pavlova Help! What is the secret to a high and full pav?!
Pavlova Help! What is the secret to a high and full pav?
I have tried many recipes and each time the pav ends up looking like my dog has sat on it..also the inside is generally hollow in many places, not at all full like the shop bought one.
I know that some cracking is normal, but mine are toooo cracked and toooo flat. Does anyone know the secret to making a real pav? many thanks
FYI - I beat 12 egg whites until stiff, then gradually add 3 cups of caster sugar, then fold in 1 tbsp vanilla essence and 1 tbsp white vinegar, and 1 tbsp cornflour.
Then i put mixture on a baking tray into a 150 degree oven for 1 hour, turn oven off and leave till morning. Result = disaster!
3 weeks ago
hi Patti - yes, I have done what you said, but somehow my pavs are still disasterous!
Answers:
3 weeks ago
hi Patti - yes, I have done what you said, but somehow my pavs are still disasterous!
Is cornflour=cornstarch..because it should be cornstarch...also make sure egg whites are room temp when you beat them....and make sure bowl and beaters are extremely clean, the least little oil or grease will make it all flat...and last make sure your sugar is dissolved...feel it, there should be no grit ..I would skip the vanilla too...my recipe doesn't have it......good luck:)
only other thing i can think of is humidity affects them somehow...
shaving cream & mentos lollies.
***me***!! Sounds to me like you are doing every thing correctly. I don't agree with Patti about the vanilla and the only thing I don't agree with YOU is adding all the sugar at one time. Everything else Patti refers to about the eggs at room temperature and VERY cleaning utensils is certainly correct BUT after I beat the egg whites until soft peaks have formed, I start adding the sugar about 1/4th to 1/3rd cup at a time, beating between each additional until the meringue is silky smooth (rub a little of the mixture between your thumb and fore finger to determine this). After all the sugar has been added, spoon it on a piece of parchment paper or silpat, not directly on to the baking sheet. Too, I always mound it into a ring and never a solid disk (maybe, with a indentation in the center) and/or never a solid, heaped mass. I did make a sort of cake where I spread the meringue on the backs of cake pans and let them dry out before garnishing with a cooked strawberry filling. For the top, I stood strawberries up on their stem ends, coating them with melted current jelly.