I've Tried Over 20 Pavlova Recipes – This Is The Only One That Works Every Time

PavlovaI’ve previously described meringue as my Achilles’ meal – it’s one of those dreaded dishes that, try as I might (and I did), I could never get right. It’s not just the meringue, which I’ve always struggled with. For some reason, the toppings are never quite right, either.It’s been a pretty significant blow to my baking ego. After all, I pride myself on my carrot cake, rocky road, and brownie recipes, but pavlova proved that expertise in one area doesn’t automatically mean mastery of another. In my sunny-weather, pavlova-craving desperation, I turned to my usual faves – we’re talking Nigella Lawson, Mary Berry, and even Gordon Ramsay. Finally, finally, I found a recipe that works ever time for the meringue, and a hodgepodge of other instructions I’ve found work for the toppings too. Cracked, crumbly, weeping meringues on the right; a firmer, glossier meringue base on the leftLet’s start with meringueI’ll begin with my meringue base, which was the hardest thing for me to get right. I hope this isn’t blasphemous, but Nigella’s, Mary’s, and Gordon’s recipes, among most others I tried, seemed to spell disaster for my meringues. They wept, they crumbled, they stayed sticky rather than chewy (though there were some pearls of wisdom from the pros; Mary was right to leave the meringue in the oven overnight to dry off, and Gordon used my new favourite drop-and-scoop shaping method). The best advice I got, which has led to perfect meringue every time, came from recipe developer, author, and consultant, Nicola Lamb.Firstly, she said it’s quite hard to overbeat meringue and very easy to under-beat it. I have since beaten my mixture for about 15 minutes with my electric whisk and seen much better results (weeping, for instance, happens when sugar remains unincorporated in the egg mix). Secondly, Lamb says we should ”“Rub the meringue [mix] in between your fingers to check” whether it’s oven-ready. If you feel any grit between your fingers, she adds, it’s underbeaten. This trick has been a lifesaver and works for all meringue recipes. Pavlova on the left; meringue base on the rightNow, let’s talk toppingsI love Nigella and Gordon’s suggestions of using a curd on a meringue. It adds a tangy richness to balance the cream (Mary Berry’s lemon curd is a great bet if you want to go traditional). But though I adore lemon curd, I do find it a bit acidic toppings like tart raspberries. That’s why I love both Mary Berry’s addition of pomegranate and Gordon’s spin on a curd (he loves raspberry). You might be ahead of me here – that means I swear by a pomegranate curd, which is mildly tangy but also beautifully floral and gentle. It adds a “hang on, what’ve they done here” intrigue to your dessert too (this is the recipe I love). I also slightly differ from Mary Berry’s advice while making my cream; she whips hers to stiff peaks, while I find a softer peak is better, especially if you’re refrigerating your ingredients beforehand (chilling cream stiffens it). However, though I didn’t get a picture of my recent dinner party offering, I do agree with her on adding vanilla paste to the cream and mint sprigs on top.In all my recipes, I’ve seen no need to add icing sugar to cream. And as all the experts advise, I assemble the dessert just before eating it (curd first, then cream, then fruit – wherever berries you have, really – then mint).Here’s my failsafe recipe So, here’s the recipe I use that works every time – it serves 6-8. You should make the curd and the meringue the night before serving.Meringue ingredients:4 large egg whites230g golden caster sugar (plain caster is OK) Teaspoon each of vinegar and cornflour (combine these together before adding them)Curd ingredients: 2 medium pomegranate seeds, blended and strained with muslin for juice (or 235g pomegranate juice, though fresh is worth the effort)60g pomegranate molasses2 egg yolks and 1 whole eggTopping ingredients: 600ml cream1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 400-500g berries (chop strawberries if using)Couple sprigs mintInstructions:I like to begin with my meringue. Cut a circle of baking paper to support the meringue and preheat your oven to 125°C.Whisk the egg whites in an immaculately clean bowl for 15 minutes, or until they pass the “grit test.” Once they’ve reached the soft peak stage, add sugar teaspoonful by teaspoonful and let them incorporate fully before you add the next spoon. Once this has been achieved, fold the vinegar and cornflour mix into the batter. Then, as Gordon does, plop the whole mix onto the baking paper (which should be placed on a baking mat) and press either the back of a spoon or a spatula into the middle, smoothing out a central dip for you to add your filling. Your meringue should not be below an inch thick at any point. The edges should be higher than the middle. Bake the meringue at 125°C for ten minutes, then turn it down to 100°C and let it cook for a further hour and a half. This helps to make it crispy. Leave the meringue in the oven overnight once cooked.While this is baking, make your pomegranate curd by mixing its ingredients together in a saucepan and whisking it on low until thick (at least 20 minutes).Once it coats the back of a spoon, put it in a heatproof airtight container (like a jam jar or bowl), cool it, and let it set overnight. If you are whipping cream in advance, whip it with vanilla paste and leave it at a dropping, rather than soft peak, stage and store it in the fridge. If not, go for soft peaks. When ready to assemble (this should be done as last-minute as possible, or your meringue will be soggy), spoon the curd on the base of the meringue, add the cream, and cover with berries and mint.Related...I've Tried Over 30 Brownie Recipes ― The Best Ones All Omit This Common IngredientI Tried Nigella Lawson's 'Old-Fashioned' Chocolate Cake And It Was Fudgy, Moist PerfectionI Tried Carrot Cake Recipes From Mary Berry, Gordon Ramsay And Nigella, But None Beat The Best

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