When adding more plant-based foods to your life, it’s common to look for foods that replicate the taste, texture and properties of more familiar animal-based foods. Hearty burgers made from beans and grains, plant-based drinks as an alternative to milk, or eggs as a binder in baking made from flax or chia seeds. But one thing that has been incredibly hard to find a replica for, without turning to highly-processed ingredients, is egg whites. Egg whites are light, fluffy and make peaks that you just can’t make a meringue or macaron without, until now!
Ingredients
Meringue
Liquid from 1 x 400 g can low-salt chickpeas, chilled
250 g icing sugar
¼ tsp cream of tartar
Pinch fine salt
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
Coconut Whipped Cream
1 x 400 g can coconut milk, chilled overnight
1 tsp vanilla extract
Fruit Topping
Fresh seasonal fruit as desired (peaches, kiwis, berries, are some of our favourites)
Preparation
Bake Vegan Meringue:
- Preheat the oven to 140°C/120°C fan/gas 1 and line three baking trays with baking paper.
- Beat the chilled chickpea liquid with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- While continuing to beat the liquid, slowly add the icing sugar one scoop at a time until hard peaks form.
- Add in the cornflour, cream of tartar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Immediately, fill a piping bag with the mixture. Pipe the mixture onto parchment paper into 6 equal sized circles, always starting at the centre and working outwards. These meringues will spread a bit in the oven, so make sure there is extra space on your baking tray.
- Place in the oven immediately. Bake for 1 ½ -2 hours until the outside is slightly browned. Do not open the oven to check on the meringues – only use the oven light. Once slightly browned, turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool completely, about an hour.
Make Coconut Whipped Cream
7. Remove only the coconut cream (the thick white substance) from the can.
8. Using a hand mixer, whip until soft peaks form. Add in the vanilla extract.
Assemble Pavlova
9. Top each meringue with whipped cream and fruit.