Pavlova



I received a molecular gastronomy kit for Christmas and thought I'd try it out by making some passionfruit pearls to go on top of one of my favourite trusty desserts- the pavlova!

The kit I used was the Cuisine R- Evolution kit which you can purchase at http://www.molecularfoods.com.au/shop/category/kits/ and I followed the gelification technique using passionfruit juice and agar agar (which basically just turns the liquid to a jelly). Basically to make the pearls, you use a dropper to drop the passionfruit/agar agar liquid into cold oil, which then sets the liquid into small balls and ta-dah! Passionfruit pearls!

You can leave the pearls out and just make the pavlova if you wish- that's the greatest thing about pavlova, it can be topped with whatever you like!

You will need...
For the meringue...
4 egg whites
1 cup of caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vinegar
1/4 tsp of salt

For the topping...
vanilla pod
500ml thickened cream
1/2 cup icing (confectioners) sugar
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup of lychees, peeled, halved and pitted (or use tinned if you like)
1 punnet blueberries, washed, hulled and sliced
300gr punnet cherries, washed, halved and de-stoned
1 punnet strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered
1/4 cup of passionfruit pearls

Method...
1. Cover a baking tray with baking paper, and preheat the oven to 150 degrees celsius.
2. To make the pavlova, beat the egg whites using an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Continuously whipping, gradually pour in the caster sugar until glossy and all the sugar is dissolved in the mix*. Mix the cornflour and vinegar together and pour into the meringue mix, whip briefly until all combined.

3. Pile the meringue mix onto the covered baking tray, and mould into a round shape (my trick is to keep it a bit lumpy looking, and give it little peaks- this makes awesome crispy bits and little divots to hold cream and fruit!) Place in to oven and turn the oven temperature down to 130 degrees celsius immediately. Bake for 1 1/2 hours until crisp on the outside. Turn off oven, leave door ajar and allow meringue to cool COMPLETELY in the oven.
4. Remove and place on a serving plate. To serve, whip the thickened cream, icing sugar and vanilla together until medium-stiff peaks then spoon onto the meringue then scatter the fruit over the top of the cream. Finally add the passionfruit pearls if you are using them.
5. Eat immediately!! YUMMMY!
Not my prettiest Pavlova I have to admit, I had to transport the ingredients and the cream lost a bit of its love so it turned into a bit of a landslide! It was still delicious though!
*To test that the sugar granules are dissolved, I use clean hands to take a small pinch of the mix and rub between my thumb and finger, if you can still feel the sugar then continue beating for a few more minutes.

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