Darren Purchese: Six secrets behind the perfect pavlova
With just a couple of key ingredients a pavlova might seem simple, but it can be a tricky dessert to master. Renowned pastry chef Darren Purchese reveals his tips on the Australian favourite.
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“The beauty of a pav is in the simplicity of this dessert as well as the enjoyment of eating it,” says pastry chef Darren Purchese.
But try telling that to the contestants in the MasterChef kitchen, who are presented with Purchese’s recipe for Mango Passionfruit Pavlova that’s six pages long and features an anxiety inducing 72 steps to complete.
“Ha, they’re seasoned pros, you can’t give them anything too simple,” the chef laughs. “We have some fun with one of Australia’s most iconic desserts.”
But for those of us playing along at home, the founder of Burch + Purchese Sweet Studio says a simple pav is the perfect dish to master during lockdown.
“Essentially a pavlova is very simple in terms of ingredients and method. It’s egg whites and sugar, whisk it up, what can go wrong?”
Plenty, as anyone who’s dealt with a collapsed, weeping or burnt pav will attest.
But Purchese says heeding a few handy hints will ensure a perfect pav every time.
STEPS TO SUCCESS
The first thing to ensure is that all your utensils are immaculately clean – especially the mixing bowl – and that all your ingredients have been weighed accurately. This is not the time to bish, bash, bosh, glug of this, dash of that – there’s science behind the perfect pav and accuracy is key.
TAKE IT SLOW, SUGAR
“The most important thing, is when you’re whisking up your egg whites and sugar, is to add your sugar slowly,” Purchese says. “Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time and let it mix in really well before adding the next. It will take you 15 minutes to get all the sugar into the meringue.”
If you do this, you’ll end up with “the world’s shiniest, glossiest meringue”.
And as the sugar has been dissolved fully into the egg white, it means your meringue won’t leak.
“When a pav weeps, it’s because you’ve added the sugar too fast and the crystals haven’t fully broken down, they’re breaking down after you’ve made your pav and you’re getting a pile of sticky mess,” he says.
ADDED EXTRAS
Cream of tartare will help your meringue have a deliciously creamy texture, while the addition of vinegar and cornflour helps to strengthen it.
“The addition of vanilla in your meringue is awesome. It’s an amazing, nostalgic flavour,” Purchese says.
If you don’t have cream of tartare, it can be left out no worries, Purchese says, but it’s found in every supermarket in the baking section, and most people have some tucked away in the back of the cupboard “because they were going to make a pav, but never got around to it. Now’s the time!”
CIRCLE OF LIFE
“Basically, if you make your pav really high, you’re not going to have a dry pav, it’s going to have a marshmallow-y centre. Even if you leave it in the oven for a long time, it’s still going to be spongy in the middle,” Purchese says.
To ensure that high meringue, draw a 20cm circle on a piece of baking paper which will form the guide as to how to spread your meringue.
HOT AND THEN COLD
“What you’re looking for in a pav is a crispy crust on the outside but on the inside you want it super marshmallowy,” he says. To achieve that, place your meringue into the oven preheated to 150C and then immediately turned down to 100C. Leave for 50 minutes, turn the oven off and then leave in the cooling oven overnight.
“Don’t try and make the pav on the day. That’s when you’re going to fail, trying to put cream on something that’s warm – it’s not going to work,” Purchese says. “Want a pav for Sunday lunch? Knock one up at 5 o clock Sat night and leave it in the oven, it will be bang on.”
CREAM TEAM
“Don’t use sweetened cream because the pav is sweet enough. You want the cream to cut through the sweetness,” Purchese says.
His top tip? Dress your pav with cream and fruit a couple of hours before serving and leave in the fridge. “The fridge will soften it a bit and it’s all going to come together nicely.”
WATCH THIS: Catch Darren Purchese’s pavlova pressure test on MasterChef Australia, Tuesday May 12 on 10.
DARREN’S PERFECT PAVLOVA
Makes: 1 x 20cm round Pav, Serves: 8-10, Prep Time: 25 minutes, Cook Time: 50 minutes plus 5 hours cooling minimum
INGREDIENTS
6 Egg whites, room temperature
½ tsp Cream of tartar *
pinch Salt
1 Vanilla pod, seeds scraped
400g Caster sugar
2 tsp Cornflour
2 tsp White vinegar
400g Cream
12 Passionfruit, cut in half and seeds scooped
METHOD
1. Preheat an oven to 150C and line a baking tray with paper. Take a 20cm diameter cake tin or ring and place into the middle of the paper; use a pen to draw a circle around the tin. Flip the paper so the drawn ring is underneath.
2. Place the egg whites, cream of tartar, salt and vanilla seeds into an immaculately clean bowl of an electric stand mixer. Attach the whisk and start to whip the egg whites on a medium speed. Whip the whites to a white foamy meringue and then add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time. Continue until all but 50g of sugar has been incorporated, this should take around 15 minutes.
3. Turn the machine to high and whisk for a further 5 minutes.
4. Mix the cornflour into the remaining sugar and fold into the meringue using a silicone spatula or large metal spoon. Ensure the sugar/cornflour is fully incorporated. Next fold in the vinegar.
5. Spoon all of the meringue into the centre of the circle on the lined paper and use a medium step palette knife to shape and compress the meringue.
6. Next start to push the meringue out to the edges of the circle, smoothing the top at the same time. You are trying to obtain a thick disc of ‘pavlova’ shaped meringue.
7. Invert the centre top surface of the meringue with a palette knife to create a small lip around the top edge of the meringue.
8. Ensure the fan is tuned off in your oven and place the tray onto the middle shelf. Immediately turn the oven down to 100C and bake the pavlova for 50 minutes.
Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool down in the oven for a minimum of five hours. The pav should be crunchy on the outside and soft and marshmallowy in the centre, a little browning on the exterior is perfect and that is what holds it and gives it its crunch.
9. Remove from the oven and gently remove the paper from the base.
10. Whip the cream to firm peaks, spoon onto the surface of the pav and then spoon the passionfruit seeds on top.