Triple Citrus Pavlova Recipes

TRIPLE-CITRUS PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200ºF.
• Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in medium bowl with mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add 1-1/2 cups sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating 8 to 10 min. or until stiff peaks form.
• Cover baking sheet with parchment. Draw 13x9-inch rectangle on parchment; turn over. Spread egg white mixture into rectangle on parchment, using lines as a guide. Bake 2 hours or until edges of meringue are crisp. (Center will still be soft.) Slide meringue and parchment onto wire rack; cool completely.
• Meanwhile, zest 1 orange. Place colander in bowl. Section zested orange and remaining fruit over colander, placing sectioned fruit in colander and reserving juice in bowl. Whisk cream cheese, 1/4 cup reserved juice and remaining sugar in separate medium bowl until blended. Gently stir in COOL WHIP and 2 Tbsp. zest. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Transfer meringue to platter just before serving. Spread with cream cheese mixture to within 1/2 inch of edges; top with fruit.

CRANBERRY-CURD-AND-CITRUS PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Trace a 9-inch circle on a piece of parchment. Transfer, traced-side down, to a baking sheet.
• Pavlova: Stir together sugar and cornstarch. In the bowl of a mixer, beat egg whites with lemon juice and salt on low speed until frothy. Increase speed to medium-high and gradually add sugar mixture, beating until stiff, glossy peaks form, 10 to 12 minutes. Adhere corners of parchment to sheet with tiny dollops of meringue, then mound rest of meringue in center of circle on parchment. Using a large spoon, spread to edges of circle, leaving a well approximately 5 inches wide and 1 inch deep in center.
• Bake until crisp and dry on outside but not developing any color, 1 hour, 10 minutes to 1 hour, 20 minutes. Turn oven off (do not open door); let cool in oven until dry and crisp on outside, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Curd: Combine cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until cranberries burst and collapse, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter until melted. Strain mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids to remove as much liquid as possible; discard solids. In another bowl, whisk together egg and yolks. Slowly whisk 1 cup of cranberry mixture into egg mixture; return to pot with remaining cranberry mixture and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened and beginning to sputter, about 6 minutes. Let cool completely, then press plastic wrap directly on surface and refrigerate in an airtight container until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 5 days.
• Serving: Whisk cream, vanilla, and orange-blossom water to soft peaks. Fill well of meringue with curd. Dollop cream over curd; top with citrus supremes and gooseberries. Serve immediately.

PAVLOVA WITH WINTER FRUITS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Invert a small bowl onto the parchment paper and trace the rim with a pencil. Repeat twice more. Flip parchment paper over.
• Beat egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Gradually add white sugar, with the mixer running. Whisk superfine sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Gradually beat into the meringue. Continue beating meringue until stiff, glossy peaks form. Beat in orange blossom water and vinegar.
• Spoon meringue into the traced circles. Make the borders higher than the center, to leave room for the filling.
• Bake meringues in the preheated oven until firm and dry to the touch, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the lemon curd. Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a bare simmer.
• Whisk lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, egg yolks, and salt together in a glass bowl. Set the bowl over the simmering water. Cook, whisking constantly, until curd foams, then thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the simmering water. Gradually whisk in coconut oil until melted and incorporated.
• Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids left in the strainer. Press a sheet of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Transfer to the refrigerator.
• Turn off oven and keep meringues inside until completely dry, about 1 hour.
• Combine heavy cream, confectioners' sugar, and orange blossom water in a bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
• Spoon lemon curd into the center of the cooled meringues. Mound whipped cream over the curd. Arrange grapefruit, orange, and persimmon slices on top. Sprinkle pomegranate seeds over the top.

LEMON PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F)/gas mark 4 and line a baking tray with baking parchment.
• Beat the egg whites until satiny peaks form, then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny.
• Sprinkle the cornflour (cornstarch) over the meringue, then grate in the zest--a fine microplane is best for this--of 1 lemon and add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice.
• Gently fold until everything is thoroughly mixed. Mound onto the lined baking tray in a fat circle approximately 23 centimeters (10 inches) in diameter, smoothing the sides and the top with a knife or spatula.
• Place in the oven, then immediately turn the temperature down to 150 degrees C(300 degrees F) /gas mark 2, and cook for 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven and leave to cool, but don't leave it anywhere cold as this will make it crack too quickly. If you think your kitchen is too cool, then leave the pavlova inside the oven with the door completely open. When you're ready to eat, turn the pavlova onto a large flat plate or board with the underside uppermost--I do this before I sit down to the meal in question and let it stand till pudding time. This is so the tender marshmallow belly of the pav melds with the soft topping.
• Toast the flaked almonds, by frying them in a dry pan over a medium to high heat until they have started to colour. Shake the pan at regular intervals and don't let them burn. This doesn't take more than a minute or so. When they're done, remove to a cold plate so that they don't carry on cooking.
• Whip the cream until thick and airy but still with a soft voluptuousness about it, and set it aside for a mo.
• Put the lemon curd into a bowl and beat it with a wooden spoon or spatula to loosen it a little. Taste the lemon curd (if it's shop-bought) and add some lemon zest and a spritz of juice if it's too sweet.
• With a light hand, a glad heart and a spatula, spread the lemon curd on top of the meringue base. Now top with the whipped cream, peaking it rather as if it were a meringue topping. Sprinkle with the zest of the remaining lemon--you can grate this finely or coarsely as you wish--followed by the flaked almonds, and serve triumphantly.