COCONUT PAVLOVA WITH PASSIONFRUIT + MANGO

Coconut pavlova with mango + passionfruit | Hello Victoria

Coconut pavlova with mango + passionfruit | Hello Victoria

I have always been a fan of strange things. When I was a child, I wanted nothing more than to have red hair and green eyes, because they were uncommon and would make me look unique (brown + brown = boring to little Amy). When my mom would take me to the grocery store, I would ask her to buy all of the strangest fruits. Passionfruit, grenadilla, star fruit, dragon fruit, prickly pear… you name it, I wanted to try it! And for my birthday, I didn’t want any old cake, I always wanted pavlova!

Unlike nowadays, pavlova wasn’t as common when I was a kid in Canada. My siblings always opted for things like cheesecake or chocolate torte, but I wasn’t such a fan of those. Of course, my mom made a version almost more like a traditional cake, with whipped cream icing all around, but it was pavlova all the same. Ever since then, I have been a huge fan of simple meringue bases topped with all kinds of fun and colorful fruits.

Coconut pavlova with mango + passionfruit

Pavlova is a fantastic dessert because you can top it with anything! In this instance, I chose to pick some tropical fruits that we had in the house, and one of my favorite weird ones – passionfruit. For the passionfruit, I chose to make it into a sauce with some coconut water. I had a coconut that I wanted to turn into toasted coconut flakes (for decoration) and decided not to waste the water. It’s not necessary though, so feel free to just use the passionfruit as is if you want.

The next time I make a pavlova, I’m going to try using an Italian meringue, rather than a classic French meringue. I haven’t made a French meringue in a while and kept over-whipping it (I’m just that strong). The nice thing about Italian meringue is that the egg whites cook in the simple syrup as you whip it, making it the most stable meringue you can make. Finally, I just decided to add some acid to the mixture in order to make it more stable.

Coconut pavlova with mango + passionfruit | Hello Victoria

Fancy chefs whip their egg whites in copper bowls, as they create a chemical reaction that helps to prevent over-whipping. You can make a similar reaction by adding a bit of lemon juice to the egg whites, or cream of tartar. For this recipe, I added cream of tartar, but feel free to substitute a couple teaspoons of lemon juice if that’s what you have on hand. Just add the cream of tarter to a couple tablespoons of the sugar, and mix together. Add that sugar first while whipping.

The other great thing about pavlova is that it looks pretty no matter how perfect the meringue is. Even if there are cracks in the meringue, it still looks pretty. And, if you break the meringue accidentally, you can still eat it! Just call it Eton Mess, and mix all the same stuff together in a layered trifle-type dessert. Although, according to Richard it’s not an Eton mess if there are fruits other than strawberries and raspberries in it. He’s British.

Coconut pavlova with mango + passionfruit | Hello Victoria

So whether you serve it broken up, as one large meringue, or as the individual ones here, give pavlova a try! Who doesn’t like fresh fruit, cream, and copious amounts of sugar?

Coconut Pavlova with Passionfruit + Mango

Coconut Pavlova with Passionfruit + Mango

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 4 individual meringues

Ingredients
  

  • 150 g egg whites
  • 300 g caster sugar
  • 50 g desiccated coconut
  • 2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 75 ml coconut water
  • 150 g caster sugar
  • 3-4 passionfruits seeds removed
  • 1-2 mangos cubed
  • 500 ml double whipping cream
  • toasted coconut flakes optional

Instructions
 

  • First, make the pavlovas. Preheat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Mix together the cream of tartar with a couple tablespoons of the 300g of caster sugar. Whip the egg whites until foamy, and soft peaks are beginning to form.
  • Sprinkle over the sugar, a few tablespoons at a time, beginning with the cream of tartar sugar. Continue to whip the egg whites and sugar until stiff, glossy peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip.
  • Gently fold in the coconut and divide into four mounds on the parchment paper. Using a spoon, create little depressions in each meringue for the cream.
  • Bake in the peheated oven for 1 hour, 25 minutes. Turn off the oven, and allow to cool to room temperature.
  • To make the passionfruit sauce, stir together the 150g sugar and coconut water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, and stir in the passionfruit seeds.
  • Shortly before you’re ready to serve, whip the cream to medium peaks and mound on the meringue shells. Add the mango cubes on top, the coconut flakes (if using), and the passionfruit sauce.
  • Enjoy!

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