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Pavlova with seasonal fruits

Pavlova with seasonal fruits

Published on July 22, 2015 | By
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    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
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I’m smiling as I share this recipe. It reminds me of how happy I was that all of these flavours came together so perfectly. It was an experiment. I had made Pavlovas before but always topped with only strawberries and occasionally passion fruit. Having gotten into the whole bit about eating seasonal and think local , I wanted that to feature in this dessert as well. To be honest ,bananas were my first option. The next thing I visualized was the faces of my two brats scowling at me !!! sighhh… bananas are just not their favourite fruit ! They need to eat it regardless but I thought why waste that precious produce on a dessert when it might not get appreciated :p  That and the fact that I was in no mood to deal with grumpy faces… Lol !

The fruit angels must’ve been hovering and aware of my dilemma. Plump red fresh lychees arrived ,thanks to the generous Divya Chandran. I was most happy to find a just ripened small pineapple at Orga foods ,the neighbourhood organic store. Yes ,my seasonal pavlova mission was all set to begin !

Making Pavlovas are calming. Therefore more than other recipes I need to make it when I’m surrounded by quiet time. Just when the other beings in the household are otherwise occupied elsewhere and for a considerable amount of time , I don my invisible Pavlova cloak and go to my quiet work space. The star of this mission and the pavlova work space is my Kitchen Aid mixer. I love her… ideally I would like a bright red or pink one but this white beauty was a birthday gift from mom ,so I’m not complaining !!! Deep , brushed steel bowl , a humongous wire whisk and a purring mechanism later the egg whites are on their way to getting a soft beating !

Watching them swirl and whip is hypnotic … smiles are involuntary when the time arrives to add the sugar. My favourite part is when the fluffy egg white turns into a glossy matt silky cloud. I used to stress at the baking part of it ,’cause that’s what is crucial to getting the perfect Pav ! i don’t stress anymore ,if it doesn’t seem dry enough just leave it in the oven a bit longer…in any case I’m not ever serving one up to my mother… Ayyo.. 😉  . Just kidding ma <3

Fresh cream is an ingredient you will seldom almost never find in my kitchen. It’s a mental bl;ock. however when I saw a tin of Nestle’ fresh cream, I thought why not give it a go. I’m pleased with the result and so is my family. The fruit topping is what excited me the most. Fresh fruit will just make the pavlova soggy. So,it needed that bit of stickiness which comes only with caramelisation. I’d already used a lot more white sugar than I normally do…so Coconut blossom sugar  to the rescue. It was just perfect ! It added the right amount of colour and flavour… and the chilli,well , I Just Had To !!!! It brought alive every bit of the dessert and made my hours spent more than worthwhile. So, to my Pavlova infused with chilli fruity flavours… cheers ! Long may your mission continue….

 

Pavlova bit with chilli pineapple and lychees

I do have plans to work on the presentation and make it pretty the next time around…..

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Ingredients

  • Egg whites -4
  • Castor sugar-240 gms
  • White vinegar-1 tsp
  • Corn flour -2 and a 1/2 tsps
  • Lemon rind and juice- 2 lemons (Indian lemons)
  • Tinned cream (Nestle')- 50 ml
  • Icing sugar- 2-3 Tbsps (occording to taste)
  • Fresh pineapple chunks- 2 Cups
  • Fresh lychees- 12
  • Dried red chilli flakes- 1 tsp
  • Salt - a pinch
  • Coconut blossom sugar- 2 tsps

Nutrition Info

  • Protein Egg white

Instructions

  1. Pre -heat your oven to 120 degrees C Organise your counter top. You will need ; 1. A clean metal mixing bowl that is fairly deep. It should not have any trace of moisture inside it 2. An electric whisk 3. a small bowl to place the egg yolks 4. parchment or baking paper
  2. Separate the whites from the yolk. Make sure that there is no bits of yolk at all in the whites.The whites need to go into the clean metal mixing bowl
  3. Whisk on high until it forms soft peaks with the whisk.
  4. At this stage ,with the whisk on ,slowly begin to add in the castor sugar spoon by spoon.
  5. As it gets mixed in the frothy egg white will take on a opaque glow. This is the basis of your meringue mixture.
  6. Now , slowly but in firm motions ,fold in the cornflour , vinegar and lemon rind of 1 lemon until it is mixed in thoroughly.
  7. Take out the baking tray and add tiny bits of the egg white mixture to the corners and then place the baking paper on the top. This will keep the paper glued in place while baking.
  8. Now dollop all of the pavlova mixture in a heap ,on the centre of the parchment paper and lovingly spread it out to form a long oval cloud like mound. Have fun with your spatula while doing this :)
  9. Place this mound in your preheated oven and let bake at 120 for 2 hours.
  10. After it has dried and the top is crisp ,turn it down to 100 and leave it in the oven for another 2 to 3 hours ,to completely dry out from the inside.
  11. Once it has dried out ,store in an airtight container until it's time to serve.
  12. Lemon Cream: In a clean glass bowl , add the cream and beat for a few seconds until frothy. Add the icing sugar ,rind and juice of 1 lemon and beat for a few seconds. Taste ,adjust and refrigerate.
  13. Fruit topping: Slice and core the pineapple rings. Peel and de seed the lychees. Chop into bits. In a pan ,add the lychees ,1 tsp of coconut blossom sugar and 1 tsp of water. Cook until the lychees soften and are a bit sticky. In another pan ,add the pineapple bits ,1 tsp of coconut blossom sugar ,chilli flakes and 1 tsp of water and let cook on a slow flame until it's caramely and golden. Set aside,covered.
  14. Just before serving , place the pavlova on a platter . Smooth the lemon cream carefully over the top. Dollop the fruit in the centre in a luscious pile. Let the juices trickle down and stain the cream. Serve with a flourish.

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