Pavlova

Asked by Leantine. Answered on 27th December 2015

Full question

Dear Nigella team, serving Nigella's poavlovas is always a success. I would like to know the reasoning for adding cornflower and vinegar. Sometimes I add these, but I also tend to leave them out. Both ways lead to good results. So, what is the reasoning for adding cornflower and vinegar? Best regards, Leantine

Our answer

Pavlova is a meringue base mixture that is baked for a shorter time and in a higher oven than for regular crisp meringues. An acid, such as lemon juice, vinegar or cream of tatrtar is added to help stabilize the whisked egg whites. The acid "denatures" the proteins in the egg whites which enables them to hold more air, for a lighter and fluffier meringue. Acid is often added to regular meringues, as well as pavlovas.

The cornflour (cornstarch) added at the end of the meringue making is there partly as an additional stabiliser for the egg whites, but also to give the pavlova base its soft, marshmallow centre. Even though it is a small amoubt of cornflur, the starch molecules absorb water and swell, meaning that some moisture is retained in the meringue rather than letting it dry out. However the oven temperature and baking time are also very important factors in achieving the soft centre of a pavlova.