Iron Chef Thailand‘s Chef Gai introduces a simple meringue recipe perfect for making at home and sharing with loved ones.
Thanunya Kaikaew, aka Chef Gai, is the owner of Soufflé and Me, a Western-style restaurant in Narathiwas Soi 24 known for its savoury and sweet soufflés. She is also the owner of Brioche from Heaven, a small bakery on Narathiwas Rajanakarin Road that serves only brioches. You can imagine how good they are!
Chef Gai draws culinary inspiration from her grandmother, whom she helped every morning in the kitchen. She later studied at Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s Bakery department and graduated from the School of Oriental Hotel Apprenticeship Program and Le Gordon Bleu in France. She has also appeared on Iron Chef Thailand, the TV cooking show.
Her love of sweets will bring joy to your table today, as she explains how to cook a delicious meringue at home.
Ingredients
For the meringue
- 4 egg whites
- 250g caster sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping
- 500g strawberries
- 200g redcurrants
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
- 350ml whipping cream
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 130C
2. Whisk 4 egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in 250g caster sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.
3. Whisk in 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp cornflour and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
4. Put the meringue in piping bag, making the sides a little higher than the middle.
5. Bake for 1 hr, then turn off the heat and let the Pavlova cool completely inside the oven.
6. Blend 100g of strawberries with 100g of redcurrant and 2 tbsp icing sugar in food processor until smooth, and then sieve.
7. Whip 350ml whipping cream with the remaining 1 tbsp icing sugar and spread it over the meringue.
8. Put the remaining strawberries and redcurrants on the cream and finally pour the sauce over or serve it on the side.
9. Enjoy!
For more information:
Soufflé and Me, 417 Narathiwas Soi 24, Narathiwas Rd., Bangkok, Thailand
Tel: 02-674-0442; www.souffleandme.com
