Pavlova with Fresh Strawberries and Strawberry Coulis

Pavlova is one of the dish on my to-bake list. With the long weekend ahead I managed to spend one day to make it. Being the organized me, I need time to ready myself with the procedure. What to do after this, where to put that. I have always organize the things I need beforehand. Otherwise, it would be a disaster in the kitchen and MORE mess to clean up afterward. 

Tell me, who in the right mind loves mess?

Right.

In Malaysia, it's hard to find raspberries and blueberries. The only berry I can find was strawberries. And it's quite expensive. One tiny box for RM19.90.


After I have assembled all the ingredients needed, I wiped my bowl and beater with vinegar. You see, if there's even a little grease or moist the egg whites won't thicken. Yea, you need clean, dry, grease-free bowl and beaters.


I was having second thought when I started whisking the egg whites and sugar. It wasn't thickening! I thought it was because I haven't wipe off the grease in the bowl and beater. I trust my hand-held mixer to do the job so I kept on whisking. The meringue started to thickened. Then, I set the speed to 3 and soon enough the meringue started to hold stiff peak. YEAY!

The same problem with the whipped cream. It was my first time whipping cream. My initial intention was to use the store-bought whipped cream but those were expired so I had to make some of my own. I didn't have much time to get ready but all in all, I made it! DOUBLE YEAY!


The strawberry coulis was the easiest thing to do! I didn't use the blender to puree, but I use the masher to mash 'em and then strain them. And I added orange juice to make it sweet and sour.

After a few photos were taken, it's time to indulge!

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I was dissapointed because it didn't taste that great. This is my first time eating pavlova. For me the taste was sickeningly sweet. I do love the crunchy outer layer though. I ate that with the coulis and strawberry. Yummy! But my sister like the whole thing. If she could, she would have eaten the whole thing. But she said she doesn't want to be diabetic so she had to control herself from eating more.

Pavlova and Whipped Cream
Adapted from Joy of Baking


Ingredients:
Pavlova

• 4 large egg whites - I got 130 grams
• 1 cup castor sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/2 tablespoon corn flour

Toppings:

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoon icing sugar ( or more for taste )
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Strawberry Coulis

• 1 1/2 cup strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon/orange juice

Fresh fruits - raspberries, blueberrie, strawberries, kiwi, passionfruit, mango. Any tart fruit will complement the meringue.

Methods:

Pavlova

1. Pre-heat oven to 130 degrees C. Draw a 7" circle on a parchment and it over so the circle is on the reverse side.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat egg whites on medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Then, start adding the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until they hold very stiff and shiny peaks. *Test to see if the sugar has dissolved by rubbing a bit of meringue between your fingers. If it feels grainy, keep beating until it becomes smooth.
3. Beat in the vanilla. Sprinkle the corn flour and vinegar on top of the meringue and fold in gently using a spatula.
4. Spread the meringue in the circle drawn, smoothing the edges with the spatula and create a well  by making sure the edges is higher than the center.
5. Bake the meringue for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
6. Once done, turn the oven off, left the oven door slightly ajar and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. - I waited 2 hours for it to cool completely.

Whipped cream

Whip the cream in a large bowl or your mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla.

Strawberry Coulis

Add all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and wait until boil. Mash the strawberries or you can puree them in a food processor. Strain the liquid through fine strainer.

Assemble:

1. Before serving, place the meringue on the desired plate and mound the whipped cream on top of the meringue.
2. Sprinkle the strawberry coulis on the whipped cream. Arrange the fruits randomly or in a desired pattern.
3. Serve immediately.