Another question about Pavlova!

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nfh1, Dec 8, 6:56am
I have never, ever made meringue or pav and thought I would have a go!

Is there anything I absolutely should or should not do and what can I do with all the yolks!

Many thanks.

245sam, Dec 8, 7:05am
nfh1, do you have a recipe?When Helen Jackson appeared on Good Morning on Monday she gave this recipe which she assured viewers was very easy with great results.....

PAVLOVA
6 egg whites
1¾ cups caster sugar
1 tbsp each ofcornflourandboiling water
2 tsp each ofvanillaandvinegar

Place all the ingredients in a bowl, adding the boiling water last.Beat together for 20 minutes, then test for any graininess and when the mixture is smooth, pile it into a 24cm circle on a baking paper-lined oven tray.
Bake at100°Cfor1 hour – DO NOT open the oven door – simply turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool in, and with, the oven.

Re uses for the egg yolks - lemon curd either for your usual use for lemon curd or it makes a delicious topping with/without cream on the pav, custard.....more ideas can be found by doing a search here on this Trademe MB using egg yolks as the Keywords and Anytime as the Date posted option.

Have fun and enjoy your very own homemade pav.:-))

nfh1, Dec 8, 7:16am
Thanks 235sam - no I did not have a recipe.

I am going to have a go, 20 minutes is a long time, I wonder how people managed before electricity!I going to do it before Xmas just in case I have a failure.

I do make lemon curd in thr microwave but have always put the full egg in, would I have to add anything if I just use yolks??

Thanks again.

greerg, Dec 8, 7:29am
Something that foiled me for years was not knowing I should use a glass or stainless bowl or at least not a plastic bowl which my Kenwood had then.Plastic absorbs fat from butter, eggs etc. and that stops the egg whites becoming fully aerated.Once I changed toa stainless bowl the problem disappeared.

nfh1, Dec 8, 7:35am
I do not have a stainless steel one - I do have an old mixing bowl, a big brown ceramic one - would that be ok?

245sam, Dec 8, 7:35am
nfh1, like yourself, I make lemon curd in the microwave using the first of the following recipes.....

LEMON HONEY (Microwaved)
75g butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 large eggs (beaten)

Put the butter, sugar, rind and juice into a little jug and cook on HIGH/100% power for 1-2 minutes, until the sugar has dissolved. Mix and gradually add to beaten eggs, stirring well. Return the mixture to the jug and cook on MEDIUM/50% power, stirring every minute until the mixture thickens, 3-5 minutes. The mixture will thicken more as it cools. Store in the refrigerator.

I have not actually made this version yet but it's a useful one if you have spare egg yolks and no other use for them.....
1 cup sugar
100g butter
grated rind of 1 lemon
juice of 3 lemons
1 egg + 3 egg yolks

Cook by the same method as above.

Hope that helps.:-))

geldof, Dec 8, 7:41am
I always wipe my bowl out with a paper towel sprinkled with vinegar or lemon juice, just to make sure there is no grease on the surface.

Can vouch for the put whole lot in a bowl at once recipe.20min gives you time to have a coffee or vacuum.

nfh1, Dec 8, 7:46am
Thank you so much!

I only have a electric hand whisk so I don't think I will try to vac at the same time!

I will let you know how I get on and I may supply a photo!!!!

245sam, Dec 8, 8:57am
nfh1, just another thought re a hint that you may not knowi.e. atest to do to ensure that the pavlova mixture has been beaten sufficiently for the sugar to have dissolved.....take a very small amount of the mixture and rub it between your thumb and fore finger - if the mixture is smooth with no feeling of grittiness of the sugar, then obviously the sugar is dissolved; if there is even a slight grittiness, then beat again - it is important that the sugar has fully dissolved into the mixture before the pavlova is cooked.:-))

elliehen, Dec 8, 9:02am
nfh1, one more hint...Use caster sugar.The smaller crystalsmean faster dissolving.

korbo, Dec 8, 6:04pm
and dont use eggs straight from fridge. leave out for a few hours.

nfh1, Dec 8, 8:03pm
Thanks very much for all your help - I will follow all this and see what happens tomorrow.

flower-child01, Dec 8, 9:37pm
For a never fail pav, with simple detailed instructions http://brama-sole.co.nz/recipes/pavlova/

levintofu, Dec 9, 8:16pm
whatever you do don't open the oven till its completely cooled... i normally cook it after tea and leave overnight and serve at lunch the next day

i love cookessentials spring form idea it comes out mile high and very pretty (opposed to the "rustic" look i was doing before) i didn't even grease mine up and it popped right out
my last one was a little browner than usual but very tasty and i kinda liked it that way too. so don't freak out if you turn down the oven a little late.

nfh1, Dec 9, 8:23pm
I can see I am going to have so much fun tomorrow!

rosathemad, Dec 10, 12:47am
nfh1, my recipe and pics are here - I also only have a hand mixer so don't do the leave-it-for-20-minutes thing. Regardless of the recipe you go with maybe the photos here will help a little: http://www.mrscake.co.nz/2010/08/donna-hay-pavlova.html

Lots of good tips on this thread! :-)

nfh1, Dec 10, 1:11am
Oh thank you - I love photos, and it does not look perfect either!

rosathemad, Dec 10, 2:22am
No indeed, who wants food that looks perfect all the time? ;-) The cracks give it, uh, charm, right?

bedazzledjewels, Dec 10, 2:23am
That's a great tip about boiling water to start the sugar dissolving.

nfh1, Dec 10, 2:47am
absolutely - I think mine will be very charming!

td12, Dec 10, 3:59am
Help please!I've just made my first pav, but it has what looks like syrup 'leaking' from it - is this because I didn't dissolve the sugar properly?

malcovy, Dec 10, 4:32am
Normally it is but I can promise you this, it will be delicious.Try and eat it asap though.For your first attempt well done.

245sam, Dec 10, 4:37am
td12, did you do the following as I advised nfh1 in #9 above?

"nfh1, just another thought re a hint that you may not know i.e. a test to do to ensure that the pavlova mixture has been beaten sufficiently for the sugar to have dissolved.....take a very small amount of the mixture and rub it between your thumb and fore finger - if the mixture is smooth with no feeling of grittiness of the sugar, then obviously the sugar is dissolved; if there is even a slight grittiness, then beat again - it is important that the sugar has fully dissolved into the mixture before the pavlova is cooked. :-))
Quote 245sam (14 )9:57 pm, Wed 8 Dec #9":-))

wellyamerican, Dec 12, 9:47pm
Thank you so much for sharing this pav recipe, I made one yesterday to try out for Christmas,it's awesome and so easy

dollmakernz, Dec 13, 6:57am
Egg Yolk Sponge
Beat together 3-4 egg yolks and ½c sugar. Add ¼c boiling water and beat again.
sift and add 3oz flour, 1oz cornflour, 1tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Bake 180º in a loose bottom tin