Pavlova

The cooking temperature should be as low as she can make it and, once the oven is switched off, the pavlova left in the oven overnight. I have rarely made a pavlova without it cracking though!

Let it cool down in the oven.

Delia adds a teaspoonful of vinegar and of cornflour to hers.

Proper Aussie pavlovas are very deep and quite marshmallowy inside but I don't make mine like that.

And cream covers up most defects

Don't make it on a rainy day

I make them frequently ( I'm in Australia ) . I wouldn't be worried about cracks in the meringue , since you are going to decorate it with cream and fruit. The "wow factor" is the decoration ! I made one at Christmas in the shape of a wreath, and it really looked great ( if I say so myself).

My pavlova is my favourite dinner party and special occasion desert. I make 2 and fill the middle with cream and fresh berries. They will always crack as they cool. The most important thing is to make sure that the bowl and implements used to whisk the egg whites does not have any trace of fat or grease on them. I start by washing everything thoroughly with very hot water. I also use cornflour and vinegar as well as vanilla or almond essence. My mum used to sometimes add some blackcurrant preserve into the whipped egg whites which gave the pavlova a swirl of colour.

Cracking is inevitable! Tell your GD not to worry about that, it's how they should be. Good luck to her.

In my Delia cook book she uses only egg whites and sugar. No cornflour or vinegar.

Grandmabatty’s method would be the right way at home but when I taught food technology the meringue had to be made in one lesson, stored in a tin then decorated in the next.

Obviously a meringue without cracks would look great but grading is done on texture, flavour, choice of fruit and overall decoration so hiding the cracks would show skill which is what it’s all about.

Good luck to her.

mumofmadboys

In my Delia cook book she uses only egg whites and sugar. No cornflour or vinegar.

Oh.

I thought it was Delia, perhaps it was another cookery writer. Vinegar, cornflour and vanilla essence (only a teaspoon of each).

However, I've often left them out and just used egg whites and sugar.

I add cornflour and white vinegar too. They always crack no matter what you do, make the decoration the wow factor. I made two on Christmas Eve, one early morning until it cooled and second really late to cool overnight in the oven. Always a hit 😁

Greenfinch
Does your DGD have to use a specific recipe?

If so, all I can suggest is bake on non-stick baking paper, leave it in the oven until it has cooled completely, and use cream and fruit to cover any cracks!

One of my favourite puds, I haven't made one for ages but could eat some now

Thank you all so much for your good advice. I have taken it all on board and will pass it on to her. No , she does not have to use a specific recipe and she generally uses the bbc ones . The one she made today got a little overdone on the base. I felt that 150 degrees for an hour was rather too high. What temperature do you suggest?

Ah, I thought it was too much to hope that this thread was about Anna Pavlova, the legendary ballerina. The food was named in her honour.

Time constraints are a problem when cooking in school because setting up and clearing away also has to be considered. Is it a one or two hour period?

She could ask her teacher’s advice about reducing the oven temperature because the ovens in the food room may not all be the same.

My Delia book says oven at 140 degrees. Put pavlova in, immediately reduce to 130 degrees, cook for an hour, switch off oven and leave pavlova in cooling oven overnight.

mumofmadboys

My Delia book says oven at 140 degrees. Put pavlova in, immediately reduce to 130 degrees, cook for an hour, switch off oven and leave pavlova in cooling oven overnight.

In school?

I make mine as follows. 3 large egg whites, 6oz caster sugar, bare teaspoon of cider vinegar, teaspoon cornflour sifted, a bare teaspoon of vanilla extract and a pinch of cream of tartar.
I bake mine at 140°c for one hour and leave in the oven to cool completely.

I think the exam will be 2 to 3 hours but she has to do about 2 or 3 different things. I still wonder about the pavlova and whether she needs to think again about an alternative. She is living with me at the moment so we can practise other things.

What is the actual brief for the practical part of the exam?

I just use egg whites and sugar. Delia does it this way in her original cookery course books. Mine are pretty well splattered!
It is one of my favourite deserts.

I am not sure merlotgran but I will endeavour to find out.

I seem to remember Delia saying that originally she added cornflour and vinegar to the mixture but once when she forgot them the result was the same. The problem with cooking pavlova in an exam is that it needs to cook for an hour and then be left to cool completely with the oven turned off.

I was sure it was Delia's recipe I used to follow 🙂