Sunday, March 20, 2011

Mini rhubarb pavlovas

Mini rhubarb pavlovas / Mini pavlovas de ruibarbo

I told you once how much I adore “True Blood” – the show got me so addicted that after watching the 3 seasons I started reading Charlaine Harris’ books – in a very incessantly way, I might add. :)

Something similar happened when I watched some of Sophie Dahl’s videos on You Tube: her soft, lovely way around her beautiful kitchen and the delicious food got me hooked – I immediately bought her book.

The original recipe calls for cooking the rhubarb for only 5 minutes but to me it tasted raw and sort of astringent; I added more water and sugar and cooked it longer – the result was a wonderful, jammy compote.

Mini rhubarb pavlovas
slightly adapted from Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights

Meringues:
3 large egg whites
¾ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (168g) caster (superfine) sugar
pinch of salt

Rhubarb compote:
225g rhubarb, chopped in rounds
1/3 cup (80ml) water
3 tablespoons caster (superfine) sugar – or more, to taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To assemble the dessert:
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream, very cold
½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped with the back of the knife
1 tablespoon icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons lightly toasted sliced almonds

Start by making the meringues: preheat the oven to 140°C/285°F. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper. In a very clean bowl, with no traces of fat or water, whisk the egg whites in medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, whisking well until the mixture is thick and glossy – rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers: you should no longer feel the sugar granules.
Drop 6 large blobs of meringue onto the prepared pan, 5cm (2in) apart. Bake for 1 hour, or until crisp and firm. Leave to cool inside the oven with the door ajar.
Now, the compote: place the rhubarb, water and sugar in a small heavy saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until a jammy consistency, 10-15 minutes. Add the vanilla, remove from heat and cool completely.
Whip the cream, vanilla seeds and sugar until soft peaks form. To assemble: place a meringue on a serving place, top with a generous spoonful of whipped cream and finish with another generous spoonful of rhubarb compote. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds and serve immediately.

Serves 6

10 comments:

anna said...

Rhubarb pavlovas sound perfect! Yum.

Nenou said...

I saw it last week in the cable tv and I loved it. I adore her show!
Well done dear! Looks amazingly tastefull!

Unknown said...

Wow! Gorgeous! Have not made pavloas before. Rhubarb sounds perfect. Lovely presentation, Patricia!

Min {Honest Vanilla} said...

Mini pavlova! What a great idea, sometimes the big ones are just a little much. I bet this is just perfect for a biteful :) And rhubarb just sounds great!

Ellie @ Kitchen Wench said...

Looks fantastic! Anything with rhubarb is a winner for me, but I like the idea of pairing the sweet meringue/pavlova with the rhubarb :)

Maria @ Scandi Foodie said...

I love rhubarb :-) This looks like a perfect treat!

tinytearoom said...

I love True Blood and I love Sophie Dahl. Her big blue eyes and giant smile can cheer anyone up. I love her cookbook too. I must bookmark this recipe. you make it look so delicious.

Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen said...

I adore rhubarb, I've been waiting for spring to arrive so I can finally get my hands on some! Every year I freeze as much as I can to last me until the next season.

ChichaJo said...

This certainly does sound voluptuous! Wish we could get more rhubarb here...

Patricia Scarpin said...

Anna, thank you!

Nenou, thank you for stopping by! I'm glad you liked the recipe!

Nina, my dear, I bet your pavlovas would look amazing.
xx

Min, mini is the way to go! :)
Thank you!

Ellie, thank you, darling! xx

Maria, thank you! I love rhubarb, too!

Tinytearoom, thank you for stopping by! And totally agree with you on Sophie Dahl - she's really easy on the eyes! :D

Sylvie, I adore it, too! You've given me such a great idea - I think I'll freeze some, too! Thank you!
xx

Joey, thank you, sweetie! Here it's pretty recent - all these years of blogging I was longing to taste rhubarb! :)

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