Hey guys

Today on Radio MW1548 I challenge Ejaz Khan on the power half hour to make Mini Pavlovas, shaped in a meringue nest, filled with whipped cream & topped with fruit.

I thought about giving him a more difficult dish to construct for all the trouble he gives me, bwahaha (evil laugh) , but then I felt bad about it & decided give the guy a break, baby steps first.

Meringues seem simple, ahem do not be fooled! They can be very tricky especially if you making them for the first time.  Each step might seem small, but is important in the method. What can help is a video tutorial, check my instagram @tazsaith. Today I am going to share the recipe how to make the perfect mini pavlovas.

Pastel Mini Pavlovas

Ingredients:

2 large egg whites

100gr castor sugar

5ml vanilla essence

3 different food colourings (a drop each)

Method:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 100ºC/80ºC fan.
2. Put your 2 egg whites into a large, clean, dry metal or glass bowl and whisk on a low speed until foamy. Once foamy, increase the speed until stiff peaks. Add vanilla.
3. Add the caster sugar a teaspoon so you can whisk quickly, until well combined. The meringue will appear stiff, shiny & glossy.
4. Divide the meringue into 3 bowls & drop colouring in (green, blue & red), use a metal spoon to fold in the colouring.
5. On a baking tray place grease proof baking paper.
6. Use a piping bag with a star nozzle & put the meringue inside.
7. Start by piping a dot in the centre of your meringue nest, then in one continue moving all the way around the dot twice to make a bigger circle, and then go around again on top of the outer circle to make the sides.
8. Repeat until you’ve piped all nests.
9. Place the meringue nests into the oven and bake for 1 hour 45 minutes. Until crispy.
10. Once cooked turn off the oven and DON’T open the door. Leave the meringues in the oven until it has cooled completely and then take them out (the slow cooling helps to prevent the nests from cracking). I usually make my meringues in the evening and then leave them to cool overnight.
11. Remove them from the oven and serve with whipped cream & fruit

Crispy meringues after baked

NB: Remember the thing about meringues they do not have to be perfect, they suppose to look homemade & if you are not serving them right away set them aside in an air tight container for later use, filling them with cream makes the meringue soggy.

Bon Appetit!

Chef Tasneem Saith