• About
  • * Shop *
  • Contact
  • Work with me
  • As Seen In

84th&3rd

  • Food
    • Easter Recipes
    • *THAT* Chocolate Cake
    • Recipes
    • Dining Out
  • Travel
  • Life
« Sweet Adventures Blog Hop Bling – Pavlova
Zabaglione »

Chocolate Pavlova – Deconstructed

November 27, 2011 By JJ 26 Comments

11-11-26_ChocPav

Oh where do I begin on this one? Lets start with the official title – Chocolate Pavlova Deconstructed 4 Ways: Zabaglione & Cherries; Spiced Red Wine Poached Pears & Chocolate Pudding; Caramel Bananas & Coconut Cream; Yogurt & Berries. And then I died.

Sweet Adventures Blog HopA few weeks back I was chatting on Twitter with a some fellow Aussie Food Bloggers… next thing we knew the Great Australian Pavlova Blog Hop was born. Just a few days after that we re-badged as Sweet Adventures. Our first adventure is Australian Pavlova.

We will be choosing iconic desserts from around the world, a different one each month, for future hops. Each of us – Delicieux – this month’s hostess, The Hungry Australian, Dining With a Stud, The Capers of the Kitchen Crusader and myself – will alternate hosting. I hope you can join us. If you want to be notified about the next adventure, or have ideas for desserts to add to the list, leave a note in the comments below!

11-11-26_Pav

Now you may know about my whole not eating sugar thing… and you would be correct if you think that it is slightly at odds with the essence of Pavlova. But I am nothing if not persistent so off I went to try and make a Pav using, at the very least, no white sugar. First I tried my good old Apple Juice Concentrate stand by – yeah, um, no. It was sticky at best and well, just as sticky at worst. Straight into the bin.

11-11-26_Pav

Then I tried using Coconut Sugar – high in fructose but low-GI, sustainable and full of minerals. It went ok… you can see the fun over at the 84th tumblr if you are interested, but the essence is that it was very promising – even pretending to dry out in the oven – until it sunk and turned sticky as it cooled, and had a consistency more like a sponge than a Pav. I did only use about 1/3 of the usual amount of sugar required and I do think that if more were used it may well work. However the patience and persistence ended there, for now, and here we are back at white sugar. It happens.

11-11-26_ChocPav6

Once I decided to make a more traditional Pav I immediately wanted to make the finished product un-traditional [welcome to my brain, best to duck and cover].Β  First up, flavour… chocolate of course – check. Next came form… deconstructed into individual servings – check.

11-11-26_ChocPav

I was finally left with the toppings to content with. I am not a cream fan, never have been, and all the cream and fruit usually found in this creation tend to only amplify the sugar coma of Pavlova to me.

Left with 4 egg yolks from the Pav I needed to use them up.Β  Creme Anglaise is lovely but too thin for a Pav topping. Inspiration struck in the form of Zabaglione with Tawny Port but I wasn’t sure what to match with it until a visit to the grocery store where the new season Cherries waved and called out to me. Zabaglione & Cherries – check.

11-11-26_ChocPav1

Next came pears and cinnamon and orange juice and red wine. A quick chocolate pudding and voila – rich and not too sweet, this is one for the adults and would be brilliant at a posh dinner party. Spiced Red Wine Poached Pears & Chocolate Pudding – check.

11-11-26_ChocPav2

Bananas came to mind as a second pairing with the Chocolate Pudding, but I couldn’t repeat a filling [horrors]. Good thing there was some whipped Coconut Cream in the fridge – left over from Pumpkin Pie the other day – filling sorted. Some of the Bourbon from my recent celebration French Toast may have made it’s way into the bananas [definitely did]. Caramel Bananas & Coconut Cream – check.

11-11-26_ChocPav3

But I needed one more – two for each shell shape of course [that brain thing again, see I told you, duck and cover]. In an attempt to do something slightly traditional, mixed berries were transformed into a luscious sticky sauce and poured over natural greek yogurt. Yogurt & Berries – check.

11-11-26_ChocPav4

And there we have it. Un-traditionally flavoured, un-traditionally deconstructed, un-traditionally topped. Traditionally delicious.

My favourite? Easy. Chocolate Pavlova with Caramel Bananas & Coconut Cream. No competition – absolutely heavenly. I’ve already got an idea for the next one – and it may have something to do with my Pumpkin obsession – who wants a Pav for Christmas?

11-11-26_ChocPav

~~~

Chocolate Pavlova – Deconstructed

Ingredients:

4 egg whites
1 c minus 1 Tbsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
pinch sea salt
1 Tbsp cornflour
2 tsp white vinegar
1 Tbsp cocoa powder

Extra corn flour and cocoa for baking sheet.

Full Method:

Preheat oven to 150 C [300 F]. Prepare a baking sheet by lining with baking [parchment] paper and dusting lightly with extra corn flour then cocoa powder.

Separate 4 cold eggs and set aside yolks for another use. Place whites in a large bowl and allow to come to room temp – about 20 minutes.

Beat egg whiles to foamy soft peaks, add cream of tartar and salt and beat until stiff peaks form. Beat in sugar gradually – about a Tbsp at a time – until thick and glossy. You should be able to rub a bit of the mixture between your fingers and not feel any grains of sugar.

Sift over corn flour and pour in vinegar, beat briefly until combined. Sift over cocoa powder and gently fold through with a spatula or large spoon – a marbled effect looks lovely on the end product.

Spoon heaped 1/4 cup measures of the meringue mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and form small nests. Or place mixture into a piping bag and pipe out thick batons. You could also spoon all the mixture out and create one large Pavlova approximately 18-20 cm [8 inches] in diameter. The Pavs will come out of the oven pretty much exactly as they went in so take the time to make them pretty now!

Turn down oven to 120 C [250 F] and put pans in oven. Bake small shells / batons for 1 hr until dry to the touch. Bake full size Pav for 1 hr 20 mins. Turn oven off, prop door open and allow shells to cool completely in the oven.

Carefully remove from baking paper and top immediately or keep in a container in a cool place for up to 2 days.

*Notes: UPDATED with links to Toppings!

  • Zabaglione
  • Chocolate Pudding
  • Spiced Red Wine Poached Pears
  • Caramel Bourbon Bananas
  • Whipped Coconut Cream

~~~

Click on the pictures below and check out some of the other lovely pavs in the link-up. Hope to see you for next months Sweet Adventures Blog Hop!

~~~

Related Posts

Ombre Key Lime Popsicles

Ombre Key Lime Popsicles

Vegan Key Lime Pie (Nut-Free, Paleo & Raw too)

Vegan Key Lime Pie (Nut-Free, Paleo & Raw too)

Vegan Lemon Custard Cheesecake Bars {GF VG DF SF}

Vegan Lemon Custard Cheesecake Bars {GF VG DF SF}

Rainbow Whole-Fruit Popsicles (Ice Pops)

Rainbow Whole-Fruit Popsicles (Ice Pops)

Filed Under: All Posts, Food, RecipeBox, Sweet Adventures Tagged With: Australia, BlogHop, Boozer, Cake!, Chocolate, Dairy Free, Dessert, Gluten Free, Treats

Comments

  1. Christina @ The Hungry Australian says

    November 27, 2011 at 7:42 am

    You clever thing, JJ. They all look good but I think the caramel banana & coconut topping would be my favourite, too. Beautiful job!

    Reply
    • JJ says

      November 27, 2011 at 6:16 pm

      Thanks Christina – literally eyes rolled back good!

      Reply
  2. Jennifer (Delicieux) says

    November 27, 2011 at 8:07 am

    Wow JJ, you’ve certainly been busy. I love how you experimented with coconut sugar. I’ve been wanting to try that for some time.

    I have to agree with Christina, I think the caramel banana topping would be my favourite. Yum!

    Reply
  3. Nic@diningwithastud says

    November 27, 2011 at 8:38 am

    WOW! Great job!! That’d def be my favourite too. In fact, I could do with that semi-breakfast-sounding-pav right now. Mind dropping one over πŸ˜‰ lol

    Reply
  4. Amanda says

    November 27, 2011 at 9:53 am

    My word, you have certainly been very busy – and all of these look stunning. But if I had to pick a favourite it would be the caramel bananas and coconut cream – lovely!

    Reply
  5. jas says

    November 27, 2011 at 10:26 am

    goodness gracious what a seriously amazing effort! So many choices – I think I’ve have to try the banana coconut. Deeeelicious!

    Reply
  6. Lizzy (Good Things) says

    November 27, 2011 at 10:32 am

    Thanks ever so much for coming up with this initiative, it’s great fun and very interesting. Lordy, what a mammoth effort! I love your creativity. Keep those culinary wheels turning!

    Reply
    • JJ says

      November 27, 2011 at 6:22 pm

      Thanks Lizzy, glad you could join us!

      Reply
  7. Lau@Corridor Kitchen says

    November 27, 2011 at 11:26 am

    Wow, so creative. I think my fave would have to be the pears.

    Reply
    • JJ says

      November 27, 2011 at 6:23 pm

      Glad someone picked the pears – they were feeling neglected πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  8. Michelle says

    November 27, 2011 at 11:42 am

    You were very busy! I love the idea of the zabaglione. It’s such a smooth texture the crispiness of the pav would have been great with it!

    Reply
    • JJ says

      November 27, 2011 at 6:32 pm

      It was a good combo for texture – very posh as well, especially when eaten with my hands instead of a fork πŸ˜‰

      Reply
  9. Chopinand @ ChopinandMysaucepan says

    November 27, 2011 at 12:18 pm

    Dear JJ,

    I think my favourite would be the caramel bananas but I wouldn’t mind the one with all the beautiful summer berries too.

    Reply
  10. penny aka jeroxie says

    November 27, 2011 at 4:01 pm

    Summer berries! And I love the caramel bananas as well. All good.

    Reply
  11. moya says

    November 28, 2011 at 12:16 am

    What will I choose…berries and yogurt for me please! It was nice being part of the blog hop. :

    Reply
    • JJ says

      November 29, 2011 at 12:16 am

      Glad you could join us!

      Reply
  12. silvia says

    November 28, 2011 at 1:50 am

    wow, wow, wow! they all look so yummy! i have found the idea of zabaglione great for a party…

    Reply
  13. Leah says

    November 28, 2011 at 10:52 am

    Oh my goodness – they are all amazing! I must say though, my heart skipped a beat when I saw caramel (with bourbon!) bananas and coconut cream. YUM!

    Reply
  14. brenda says

    November 28, 2011 at 2:21 pm

    Wow!!

    Reply
  15. Anna @The Littlest Anchovy says

    November 28, 2011 at 8:44 pm

    I love the shapes you made with this! You have shown how versatile the humble pave can be. I particularly love the caramel banana and coconut cream one!

    Reply
  16. Katherine Martinelli says

    November 29, 2011 at 7:16 am

    These are all just incredible! What an inspiration. I’m so glad you and everyone cooked up this idea, it was such fun! Can’t wait for the next πŸ™‚

    Reply
  17. Melissa Darr says

    November 29, 2011 at 1:59 pm

    Lol I have a laugh at your “sugar free” attempts because the sugar free freak in me would of tried to do the same thing! They all look divine!

    Reply
  18. Liz says

    November 29, 2011 at 10:56 pm

    Mmm, so many delicious options! Love it!
    Thanks for being some of the brains behind the idea – I enjoyed participating!

    Reply
  19. betty says

    December 2, 2011 at 4:09 pm

    wow this is soo creative!

    Reply
  20. Julie says

    December 3, 2011 at 12:17 am

    that is such a creative idea! Really liked how the piping came out – looks very funky πŸ™‚

    Reply
  21. Anna@ The Littlest Anchovy says

    December 6, 2011 at 8:59 am

    Hello! I love your pav! I participated in the pavlova blog hop and would love to know what is next please!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get social

84th-instagram 84th-heart 84th-facebook 84th-youtube
84th-twitter 84th-pinterest 84th-gplus 84th-star

Subscribe

New posts, straight to your inbox, simple as that.

Browse by…

Almost Recipe America-land Autumn BlogHop Boozer Bread Breakfast Brunch Cake! Chocolate Christmas Christmas Recipes Coconut Cookbook Cookies Dairy Free Deliciousness Dessert Dinner Family Fruit Gluten Free Had-to-share Holidays Ingredient Focus Inspiration Lunch Mad Science Nuts On-blogging Photo-A-Day Pie! Probably Paleo Refined Sugar Free Sauces Sides Snacks Stuff-n-Things Summer Sydney Thanksgiving / Christmas Treats Vegan Vegetarian Winter

@84thand3rd on Instagram

Follow on Instagram

Follow on Facebook

Be nice, don’t steal

All work on 84thand3rd.com is the property of the site owner unless otherwise credited. Recipes and articles are NOT available for syndication or re-publication. A single watermarked photo can be used in recipe wrap-up articles to link back to the original recipe post on this site. Photos are available to purchase for other uses.

© All Rights Reserved

Want to use something? Contact me and ask.

instagram heart facebook twitter YouTube pinterest tumblr star gplus

Copyright © 2022 · 84th & 3rd