Brown Sugar Pavlova Minis

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Brown Sugar Pavlova Mini’s

The power of this seductive pavlova dessert lies hidden within its crusty exterior that once broken into, reveals a pillow like interior, soft and fluffy  with a slight chewy texture. A grown ups cotton candy smothered in sweet chantilly cream. Much like a meringue, pavlova utilizes the  stiff whipping of egg whites combined with sugar to produce a glossy sweet  cloud that when gently cooked turns into the oven baked miracle that is pavlova.

Using a small amount of brown sugar alongside the caster sugar gives the pavlova a slight caramel flavor, and the addition of verjuice over vinegar most commonly found in pavlova recipes adds the required acid component without the overpowering vinegar hit.

To ensure pavlova success, here are a few important watchpoints to bear in mind when preparing this Classic  New Zealand dessert with a modern twist.

Choose fresh free range eggs. With pavlova, it’s all about the eggs.  The fresher the eggs, the better, as fresh eggs will ensure that the egg whites whip up to dramatic peaks. Also, choose free range over caged as the eggs will be much tastier. I used Mcleans Run Open Range Eggs and they produced exquisite results with Everest like peaks.

Use the eggs at room temperature not cold from the refrigerator. Cold eggs will result in less volume when the whites are whipped.

When separating the eggs, make sure that there is no traces of yolk in the whites. Yolk will prevent the whites from whipping strongly.

When whipping the egg whites and incorporating the sugar, doing this slowly, a tablespoon of sugar sprinkled over the whipping whites at a time allows the sugar enough time to dissolve. Adding the sugar to fast will result in grainy pavlovas.

The total amount of whipping time is about 5 minutes in an electric cake mixer as over whipping the pavlova will deflate the egg whites.

Pavlovas like a slow bake in a low oven. Setting the oven on  bake at 120c is fantastic and can only be improved on if your oven has a fanless function.

Brown sugar  pavlova mini’s

Makes: 8 individual brown sugar pavlova mini’s

Ingredients

6 large free range egg yolks – at room temperature
1 & 1/2 cups caster sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 & 1/2 tablespoons of cornflour
2 teaspoons of verjuice
Pinch of salt

Method

Preheat the oven on bake set at 120 C / 250F  with the shelf set in the middle of the oven.

Mix together the caster sugar, brown sugar, cornflour and salt and push this mixture through a sieve to remove any possible lumps.  Pour into  a small bowl and set aside.

Carefully separate the egg whites from the egg yolks, ensuring that no yolk is present in the egg whites.

Place the egg whites into a clean mixer bowl and whisk on medium to high speed until the whites are just stiff.

Slowly incorporate the sugar mixture  1 tablespoon at a time whilst the mixer whisks on medium to high. This process should take about 5 minutes of continuous mixing and the mixture should be thick and glossy by the time the sugar is all incorporated.

Add the verjuice and mix to just combine.

Spray a flat baking tray with cooking spray and line with baking paper.

Using a 7-9cm  round cookie cutter mould , lay the mould on to the baking tray and fill the mould with 4 heaped tablespoons of the pavlova mixture. Carefully remove the mould by pulling up to reveal the pavlova mound. Repeat the process until all the mixture has been used up, ensuring you leave spaces between the pavlovas to allow the mixture space to bake freely.

Bake the pavlovas for 1 hour or until crisp fully firm on top, and when lightly tapped on the bottom the pavlovas should sound hollow.

Remove the pavlovas from the oven and carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Serve topped with honeyed cream and fresh or stewed berries, kiwi fruit or banana.

Pavlova will keep for 3-4 days , covered in the pantry.