Our friends at AGA Cookers have shared their recipe for perfect individual pavlovas – the ideal dessert for entertaining over the festive period. Feel free to switch out any fruit to cater for your guest’s tastes – it's an easy recipe to adapt and make your own!
Ingredients:
3 free range egg whites
Pinch salt
175g caster sugar
1 tsp vinegar
½ tsp vanilla essence
1 tsp cornflour
300ml double cream
1 kiwi fruit, peeled, halved and sliced
1 mango, destoned, peeled and cut into chunks
1 passion fruit
Mixed fresh fruit (as needed)
Icing sugar (as needed)
Method:
Step 1: Use a pencil to draw six 9cm circles on a sheet of baking parchment and place upside down on a large baking sheet.
Step 2: In a bowl, whisk the egg whites with the salt until holding in stiff peaks.
Step 3: Add the sugar to the egg whites a spoonful at a time whilst still whisking.
Step 4: In a small bowl, mix the vanilla extract with the vinegar and cornflour and then whisk into the meringue.
Step 5: Spoon the mixture into a piping bag, fitted with a plain 1.5cm nozzle. Pipe six rounds onto the paper, pipe an edge around the top of the bases and finish off with ‘blobs’ of meringue around the edge.
Step 6: Place the meringues in the oven – pre-heated fan oven at 120oC/250oF. Cook for for 1- 1½ hours until crisp on the outside but like marshmallow in the centre. Cover with foil if browning too much.
Step 7: Lightly whip the cream until it just holds its shape and mix in most of the chopped fruit.
Step 8: Spoon the fruit cream onto the pavlovas and decorate with the remaining fresh fruit. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.