Chef Johns Pavlova With Strawberries Recipes

LEMON BLUEBERRY PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Prepare lemon curd filling: Cut butter into small pieces and set aside.
• Separate eggs, placing yolks in a heat-proof bowl and whites in glass, metal, or ceramic bowl. Cover egg whites and leave on the counter to come to room temperature for the meringue.
• Add lemon zest, salt, sugar, and lemon juice to egg yolks. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
• Add 1 to 2 inches water to a saucepan over low heat; bring to a simmer. Place bowl of filling over the simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly with a spatula, until mixture is very hot to the touch and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Stir in butter, 3 or 4 pieces at a time, waiting until butter has melted before each addition. Remove from the heat and pour filling into a bowl to cool, about 15 minutes. Lay plastic wrap on top of the filling, pressing down so it doesn't develop a skin, and place in the refrigerator until well chilled, 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner, such as Silpat®. Lightly spray with cooking spray.
• Begin meringue: Mix cornstarch into sugar and set aside.
• Add cream of tartar, lemon juice, and vanilla to the reserved egg whites. Whisk with a large whisk until very soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Whisk in sugar mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, whisking about 1 minute between each addition, until incorporated. When all sugar mixture has been added, continue to whisk until relatively stiff peaks form and whites are firm enough to hold their shape.
• Use 2 spoons or a piping bag to transfer whites onto the prepared baking sheet, forming a ring of dollops about 8 or 9 inches across. Fill in the middle with meringue, then go back around the edges adding more meringue to build up the outside edge.
• Bake in the center of the preheated oven for exactly 1 hour. At 1 hour, turn off the oven and crack the door. Let meringue sit in the oven until its cooled completely, about 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, prepare blueberry sauce: combine 1 cup blueberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until blueberries collapse and liquid thickens, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat and pass through a fine mesh strainer. Place in the refrigerator until fully chilled, about 45 minutes.
• Very carefully transfer cooled meringue to a serving platter using 2 large spatulas if necessary; you may get some cracks but that's okay. Use a spoon to crack the center a bit to make room for the filling.
• Fill the center with chilled lemon curd filling. Place remaining blueberries over top and drizzle with blueberry sauce. Garnish with mint.

SCRUMPTIOUS STRAWBERRY PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 140C/gas 1/ fan 120C. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick parchment.
• Blend the vinegar, vanilla and cornflour to a paste. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Gradually whisk in the sugars, adding a little paste with each addition, until a thick marshmallowy meringue is formed.
• Spread it out to a 20cm circle on the baking sheet, swirling the knife to make peaks. Scatter over the nuts and bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave it to cool.
• Sieve 100g/4oz strawberries into a bowl. Stir in the cassis. Whip the cream softly. Slice half the strawberries and fold into the cream. Then swirl in 3 tbsp sauce.
• Put the pavlova on a flat plate. Spoon in the cream, scatter on the strawberries, drizzle with sauce.

STRAWBERRY PAVLOVA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.
• Using a pencil, mark out the circumference of a dinner plate on baking parchment.
• Whisk 4 egg whites with a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in 250g caster sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.
• Whisk in 1 tsp white wine vinegar, 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
• Spread the meringue inside the circle, creating a crater by making the sides a little higher than the middle.
• Bake for 1 hr, then turn off the heat and let the Pavlova cool completely inside the oven.
• When the meringue is cool, chop 100g of the hulled strawberries. Mix them with 100g of the redcurrants and 2 tbsp icing sugar.
• Place in a food processor, blitz until smooth, then push the fruit mixture through a sieve.
• Whip 350ml double cream with the remaining 1 tbsp icing sugar and spread it over the meringue. Put the remaining 400g hulled and halved strawberries and 100g redcurrants on the cream and finally pour the sauce over the whole lot.