Gransnet forums

Food

Pavlova

(39 Posts)
Greenfinch Thu 12-Jan-23 15:23:02

My granddaughter is planning to make a pavlova. As it is for her GCSE and is all about presentation we were wondering how to prevent the meringue from cracking and how to keep it white. We would be grateful for any thoughts.

Norah Sun 11-Jan-26 13:45:04

Yotam Ottolenghi bakes the sugar before adding to the egg whites. Our daughters tell us his meringues are the best they've had.

Allira Sun 11-Jan-26 13:15:23

Old thread!

Did your DGD make the pavlova and was it a success, Greenfich?

shysal Sun 11-Jan-26 12:24:13

Australians are the pavlova experts. See if you can find an on line recipe from there.
I always use cream of tartare in mine.
I hope it goes well for your GD.

ExDancer Sun 11-Jan-26 12:11:20

The vinegar and cornflour are what gives the soft marshmallow centre (don't know how).

charley68 Fri 09-Jan-26 20:11:45

Agree with a little vinegar and cornflour.

Most of all do NOT use fresh egg whites. Use the ones that are just a day or so before the use by date.

moizzz Fri 09-Jan-26 16:43:31

Message deleted by Gransnet for breaking our forum guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Greenfinch Fri 13-Jan-23 20:20:49

Sorry-flan!

Greenfinch Fri 13-Jan-23 20:20:10

We didn’t have such fancy food back then did we?I am sure your fresh fruit salad was more heathy Alioop than the pavlova. I was horrified when I saw the amount of sugar going in.

Alioop Fri 13-Jan-23 19:15:49

This has made me think back to my 'O' level Home Economics exam. I made a fresh fruit flan, no way would I of been brave enough to make a pavlova. Well done to her.

Beechnut Fri 13-Jan-23 10:11:22

You’ll be sick of pavlova by the time it’s all over

Reminded me of my daughter having to make several different types of bread and butter puddings for her exam.

Callistemon21 Thu 12-Jan-23 22:48:53

You’ll be sick of pavlova by the time it’s all over. 😂

We'll all help out by sampling it!

merlotgran Thu 12-Jan-23 22:47:25

Greenfinch

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

I’m sure she would have gone through her time plan with her teacher as in my day it counted towards the final coursework mark. There’s no harm in trying a lower temperature at home to see if it fits in with her timings.

You’ll be sick of pavlova by the time it’s all over. 😂

Callistemon21 Thu 12-Jan-23 22:46:05

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

Mixing, one hour cooking then you might need the oven for something else.

Cheesecake? Would it set in time?

Callistemon21 Thu 12-Jan-23 22:44:48

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

Suki70 Thu 12-Jan-23 22:39:07

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.

Greenfinch Thu 12-Jan-23 22:32:07

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

susytish Thu 12-Jan-23 21:53:40

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.

merlotgran Thu 12-Jan-23 21:52:56

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

Greenfinch Thu 12-Jan-23 21:46:15

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.

MiniMoon Thu 12-Jan-23 21:04:01

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.

merlotgran Thu 12-Jan-23 20:43:39

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?

mumofmadboys Thu 12-Jan-23 20:13:29

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.

merlotgran Thu 12-Jan-23 19:29:17

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.

Grandma70s Thu 12-Jan-23 19:20:28

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.

Greenfinch Thu 12-Jan-23 19:05:44

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?