Basic Meringues With Variations Or A Large Pavlova Recipes

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with baking parchment. Using an 18cm round cake tin or plate as a guide, draw a circle on the parchment, then flip it over. Heat the oven to 130C/110C fan/gas ½.
• Rub the reserved lemon half around the inside of a large bowl or stand mixer, then wipe with kitchen paper to remove any butter or oil. Tip in the egg whites and whisk with an electric whisk or the mixer on a low speed until the whites form small, foamy bubbles, about 1-2 mins. Keep going until the mix looks like shaving foam, then add the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until it's a thick, glossy meringue. Rub some between your fingers - if you can feel any grains of sugar, keep whisking for a few minutes. Add the cornflour, lemon juice and vanilla, and whisk for another 30 seconds.
• Spoon the meringue onto the baking parchment, into the centre of the circle, and spread it out to the edges with a palette knife. Swipe the knife around the edge, then smooth the top. Bake for 15 mins, then turn the oven down to 100C/80C fan/gas ¼ and bake for 1 hr. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside to cool for at least 2 hrs, or overnight.
• When you're ready to serve, carefully invert the pavlova and peel away the parchment. Don't worry if it cracks a little - it will be covered by the toppings. Toppings to tryWatermelon, lime & mint sugar pavlovaBanana, tahini & salted caramel pavlovaCherry, almond & vanilla custard pavlova

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9-inch circle on the parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice, and cornstarch.
• Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center.
• Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a small bowl, beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream, and top with kiwifruit slices.

Steps:

• To make the mezcal berries, in a medium glass bowl, combine the berries, mezcal, lime zest, lime juice, pure cane sugar, and salt. Let the berries rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. While the oven is preheating, spread the coconut shavings on the baking sheet and toast until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer the coconut to a bowl, but keep the lined baking sheet for the Pavlova.
• To make the Pavlova, in a food processor, pulse the sugars and potato starch until uniformly combined and substantially more fine. Sift the sugar-starch mixture and set aside.
• In a large bowl with an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, whip the egg whites with the salt to stiff peaks, add the water and whip 1 minute. Add the sugar mixture little by little-a tablespoon at a time-while continuing to whip the meringue. When you've added half the sugar mixture, add the lemon juice. Keep whipping and adding the sugar mixture. When all the sugar is incorporated, whip another 2 or 3 minutes, until you have stiff, glossy peaks.
• Taking care not to deflate the meringue, form one giant mass of meringue in the center of the parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a spatula, gently work the meringue closer to the sides of the baking sheet into whatever amorphous shape suits your fancy. After all, perfect circles are for squares, man. As you work, be sure to pull straight up with the end of the spatula to create interesting shapes and curls of meringue.
• When you are finished with your edible art project, reduce the oven temperature to 300°F and place the masterpiece in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 250°F (keep the oven door shut!) and bake another 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the meringue rest another 10 minutes, then open the oven door and let the Pavlova cool for another hour or so.
• To make the whipped cream, using an electric mixer (or a whisk and some elbow grease), whip the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
• To serve, carefully peel the parchment away from the Pavlova (or better yet, serve on the paper to aid in clean up) and garnish as you see fit with heaping spoonfuls of whipped cream, the berries, and the toasted coconut. This is a grab-and-grub scenario, so don't even bother slicing it-just provide plenty of napkins and scold people who don't wash their hands before digging in!