Brown Sugar Pavlova With Fruit Recipes

THREE-LAYER BERRY AND BROWN SUGAR PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Make meringue:
• Preheat oven to 275°F with rack in middle. Lightly butter 3 (8-inch) round cake pans, then dust sides of pans with confectioners sugar, knocking out excess. Line bottom of each pan with a round of parchment paper.
• Pulse superfine sugar, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a food processor until well combined.
• Stir together vanilla and vinegar in a small bowl.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium speed until they hold soft peaks. Increase speed to medium-high and add sugar mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. After all sugar has been added, beat 1 minute more. Add vinegar mixture, then beat at high speed until meringue is glossy and holds stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. Spoon meringue into pans (about 2 1/2 cups per pan) and smooth tops.
• Bake until meringues have a crisp crust and feel dry to the touch, about 1 hour (insides will still be marshmallow-like).
• Turn oven off and prop door open slightly with a wooden spoon. Cool meringues in oven 1 hour. (Meringues may sink slightly and crack while cooling.)
• Run knife along sides of cake pans and carefully turn meringues out of pans. Carefully peel off parchment (meringues will be fragile and the crust may crack further). Carefully turn right side up.
• Macerate fruit while meringues cool:
• Toss berries with sugar and let stand at room temperature until ready to use (up to 1 hour).
• Assemble dessert:
• Beat heavy cream with sour cream using an electric mixer until it just holds soft peaks. Put 1 meringue on a serving plate and spread one third of whipped cream over it. Spoon one third of fruit (with juice) over top. Repeat with remaining meringues, cream, and fruit.

BROWN-SUGAR PEACH PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Pavlova: Preheat oven to 300°F with a rack in center. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Using an overturned bowl or cake pan as a guide, trace an 8-inch circle on parchment; turn parchment marked-side down.
• Place egg whites, brown sugar, and salt in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low speed until well combined and no lumps of sugar remain. Increase speed to medium; beat until soft peaks form, about 9 minutes. With mixer running, gradually add granulated sugar. Continue beating until peaks are stiff and glossy, about 2 minutes more. Beat in vinegar and vanilla.
• Secure marked parchment to baking sheet with a small dollop of meringue under each corner. Using a rubber spatula, spread remaining meringue onto marked 8-inch circle; form peaks around edge and a well in center. Bake until meringue is crisp around edges and just set in center, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off oven and let cool inside 2 hours. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let stand until meringue is cool enough to handle. Carefully peel meringue off parchment and let cool completely on rack.
• Poached peaches: Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. In a saucepan, combine granulated sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and 2 1/4 cups water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Add peaches (cut-sides up) and cover with a parchment round to keep them submerged. Reduce heat to low and simmer until peaches are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer peaches to a plate with a slotted spoon. When cool enough to handle, peel, discarding skins. Bring poaching liquid to a boil; cook until thickened and reduced by half (you should have 1 cup), about 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and chill in ice bath until cold.
• Topping: In a bowl, beat heavy cream with granulated sugar on medium speed until stiff peaks form. To assemble, carefully place meringue on a serving platter. Spoon whipped cream on top, spreading to edges; then add peaches, cut-sides down. Drizzle with syrup, slice into wedges, and serve immediately.

BROWN SUGAR PAVLOVA WITH FRUIT

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Using a 900g loaf tin as a template, trace two rectangles onto the parchment. Turn it over. Sift both the sugars into a large bowl (use a spoon to push it through). Whip the egg whites on low speed in a stand mixer or with an electric whisk until small bubbles form. Turn the speed up to medium and whisk to stiff peaks. Add the sugar mix, 1 tbsp at a time, whisking between each addition until all the sugar has been added. Drop in the vanilla. Whisk for 3-4 mins more until the meringue is smooth (not grainy) - test it between your fingertips.
• Spoon the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, and pipe it over the parchment using the templates so you have two meringue rectangles. Use a skewer to create more swirls, if you like. Bake for 50 mins-1 hr until crisp, then turn off the oven. Leave to cool inside.
• To decorate, whisk the cream, icing sugar and vanilla extract to soft peaks using an electric whisk. Place one meringue on a serving board, then pipe or spoon over half the cream. Layer over half the fruit, top with the second meringue, then the rest of the cream and the remaining fruit. Best eaten on the day it's made, but will keep chilled for up to two days.

PAVLOVA WITH FRESH RED FRUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
• Using a rubber spatula, spoon 3 to 4 one-cup blobs of meringue onto each prepared baking sheet, leaving 3 inches of space between each blob. Lift up sides of each blob with a small offset spatula and flip meringue back across the top, creating 6 to 8 smoothly folded pillowlike squares.
• Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees. Place baking sheet in oven; bake until meringues are crisp on outside but have a marshmallow consistency on inside, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Check consistency by poking into the bottom one meringue pillow. If meringues start to brown, reduce temperature to 175 degrees. Remove from oven, and let cool completely on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, combine fruit, kirsch, and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl. Let stand, gently stirring once or twice, until soft and juicy, about 1 hour or longer, depending on the fruits.
• Pour cream into chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and whip, on medium speed, until cream is just stiff. Break meringue pillows open, and place on dessert plates. Top with whipped cream and berries. Garnish with fresh mint and a dusting of confectioners' sugar.