A 15-year-old from Auckland has beaten others four times her age to win the coveted 'Pavlova of the Year' competition.
Judges spent today savouring a mouth-watering 60 Pavlovas, looking for the best texture, aeration and presentation.
The secret to the national dessert; use old eggs, beat the egg whites for more than 15 minutes, and turn the oven off before you pop the pav in.
Winner Jada Mandery's traditional recipe topped with seasonal fruit took out the top award.
Jada Mandery's Pavlova with fresh berries and strawberry sauce:
4 eggs, whites only (at room temperature)
A quarter tsp salt
220 g caster Sugar
Half a tsp vanilla essence (Jada used a German vanilla sugar instead)
1 tsp vinegar
2 tsp corn flour
Strawberry sauce:
2 punnets fresh strawberries
2 Tbsp white sugar
Half a tsp vanilla essence
Recipe:
- Preheat oven to 110degC and line a baking sheet with baking paper.
- To make the Pavlova place the egg whites and salt into a clean bowl and beat until a soft foam forms.
- Gradually add the sugar while beating on high, until the mixture forms stiff peaks and the mixture becomes thick and glossy.
- Whisk in the vanilla, vinegar and corn flour.
- Tip the mixture onto the lined baking tray and shape into a circle. Smooth off the top.
- Bake the Pavlova for one-and-a-half hours. Do not open the oven during this time
- After one-and-a-half hours, turn the oven off, open the door slightly and allow the Pavlova to cool completely in the oven (overnight is preferable).
- To make the strawberry sauce place one punnet of strawberries (washed and quartered) into a sauce pan with the sugar and vanilla essence.
- Cook gently over a medium heat for about five minutes, or until the strawberries are soft.
- Allow to cool then add the remaining strawberries and puree in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
- To serve, decorate with whipped cream and fresh berries and pour over the strawberry sauce.
3 News
source: newshub archive
