Australia's most eggsellent dish
This year, Australians are eating at home more than ever and to celebrate this, Australian Eggs enlisted the help of cook Adam Liaw to create a collection of egg dishes from around the world.
The dozen recipes went head-to-head in a public vote, with the Aussie pavlova taking out the competition to become Australia’s favourite egg dish, just in time for World Egg Day.
Adam put a twist on this sweet classic. “The problem everyone has with the pav is they make it, then they’ve got six egg yolks sitting in the fridge and they don’t know what to do with them,” he says.
“So, I thought instead of trying to top it with cream, why not try something a bit different and make a thick custard to put on top of the pavlova as well.”
The challenge, he admits, is that a custard requires sugar to set. The solution? Counteract that with thick yoghurt.
As a result, “you’ve got this tangy yoghurt custard that sits on top of the pavlova,” explains Adam.
Keen for a piece of that? Here’s how to recreate Adam’s winning recipe at home...
custard top pavlova
serves 4
INGREDIENTS
PAVLOVA
4 egg whites
1½ cups (330g) caster sugar
1 tbs cornflour
¼ tsp cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
an assortment of fruits to top the pavlova
THICK EGG CUSTARD
500ml thick yoghurt
500ml full-cream milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1 tbs cornflour
75g caster sugar
METHOD
1. Heat your oven to 110C.
2. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle in the caster sugar, one tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until glossy.
3. About halfway through adding the sugar, stir the cornflour, cream of tartar and salt into the sugar and continue adding. Beat for a further 10 minutes after all the sugar has been added. (The whole process should take about 15-20 minutes and you should not be able to feel any grains of sugar when you rub the mixture between your fingers.)
4. Place a piece of baking paper onto a baking tray and draw a 20cm circle (tracing around the base of a 20cm springform tin or plate is easiest). Flip the baking paper over so that the pencil or ink won’t touch the meringue, and spread the meringue on the baking paper to fill the circle. (Tip: If you keep adding meringue to the centre and pushing it down it will form an attractive natural edge to the pavlova.)
5. Bake for 90 minutes and then turn off the oven, allowing the pavlova to cool for at least 4 hours (but preferably overnight).
6. For the custard, place the yoghurt into a cloth-lined sieve and drain for about 2 hours until the yoghurt is very thick.
7. Place the milk and vanilla in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
8. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and creamy. Whisk in the cornflour, then add the simmering cream and return the mixture to the pot and continue whisking until the mixture is thickened.
9. Remove from the heat and cover with plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard. Allow to cool completely, then fold through the thick yoghurt.
10. Top the pavlova with the custard mixture, then top with fruits to serve.
Want more egg-spiration?
Watch Adam create his favourite egg recipes.
Head to australianeggs.org.au to see recipes for the 11 finalists. Share your egg creations on social media with #GetCracking.
ADVERTISING FEATURE
