About the Recipe
Yes pavlova needs the right humidity, will weep sugar if there are undissolved grains of sugar not to mention if you over or under whip the meringue. BUT there is hope, the pavlova I created in the video attached above was created in 51% humidity on a 33c day and as you can see it turned out just fine.
Ingredients
MERINGUE INGREDIENTS
6 eggs (240g total) egg whites
1 ¼ cup 480g caster sugar
2 tbsp 18g cornflour
1 ½ tsp 7g lemon juice
Pinch salt
TOPPING INGREDIENTS
Whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla essence
Seasonal fruit
OPTIONAL STABILISED CREAM
Method
BEFORE YOU COOK
1. Wipe down mixing bowl and whisk with lemon juice or vinegar
2. Crack eggs and bring to room temperature (approx. 21c)
MERINGUE METHOD
1. Whisk on medium speed to soft peaks (this will assist in the whites not becoming too firm too quickly) whisk for approx. 2:30min
2. Begin adding sugar one tablespoon at a time in 1 minute intervals for roughly 8 minutes then begin adding two tablespoons until sugar has been added.
NOTE: When you have approx. ½ cup of sugar left add the salt to the sugar to slowly incorporate it with the last of the sugar.
3. One minute after adding the last tablespoon use a clean spatula to bring in any sugar granules that have been caught as you want to dissolve all sugar crystals.
NOTE: By not dissolving the sugar correctly can cause the pavlova to weep during cooking.
4. After no more than 4 minutes sift corn starch evenly over the meringue and mix in with the whisk.
5. After 2 minutes add the lemon juice one drop and a time as to not overwhelm the meringue.
6. After 2 minutes test the mixture to ensure there are no grains of sugar lingering.
7. Prepare a baking tray with a sheet of parchment paper.
NOTE: It is important the baking paper doesn’t fly up when cooking, using a little butter smeared on the tray to stick the paper to the tray.
8. Dollop the meringue in the centre of the paper and when dolloping the next spatula of meringue push the radius of the pavlova out until you reach the desired size.
NOTE: Use the spatula to create the desired shape and a little crater to fill with fresh cream and fruit.
9. Place in a preheated oven at 110c fan forced 1hr 30 min
10. Once the pavlova is done cooking, check the shell is firm, turn off the oven and leave the pavlova in situ to cool for at least 2 /3 hours with the door of the oven ajar.
NOTE: If you are planning to decorate the pavlova the following day, leave in the oven overnight.
DECORATING METHOD
Traditionally pavlovas are topped with vanilla infused whipped cream and seasonal fruit such as kiwi fruit, strawberries, blueberries and or raspberries.
There are so many ways to dress a pavlova, such as tropical you could add some mango, pineapple, passionfruit and mint. Really there is no limit to how you could dress your pavlova.
If you are preparing your cream ahead of time make sure you create a Chantilly cream.