Product Review: Powdered Egg Whites, and Pavlova Recipe

Product Review: Powdered Egg Whites
I’ve been cooking with the powdered egg whites for about a month.  Powdered Egg Whites is the new product that I have been most excited about.  
 
How are powdered egg whites different from regular egg whites:  

• Powdered Egg Whites are pasteurized so no need to worry about salmonella.
• They don’t seem to whip quite as high as fresh egg whites.  In most recipes I have ended up doubling the amount of egg whites.  For example in the recipe below it called for 4 egg whites but I ended up using the equivalent of 8 egg whites in order to get the correct volume.
• The amount of egg white powder called for in a recipe is SMALL even with the doubling.  I would recommend purchasing pantry cans of Egg white powder.  I can’t imagine I will make it though the number 10 can I have before it expires.
• So what can you make with powdered egg whites?  Meringue, marshmallows, royal icing, angel food cake, and my favorite pavlova.  
• How did the taste and texture compare, between fresh egg whites and powdered egg whites?   Honestly we could not tell the difference.  My husband said that he thought the powdered yielded a slightly denser pavlova.  I did not think it was noticeable. 

 

Easy Pavlova
adapted from:  allrecipes.com

Printable Recipe

This is my husband’s favorite dessert.  It is an easy and relatively healthy treat.  We sometime substitute a pureed fruit sauce for the whipped cream, making it even healthier. 
  

8 tsp egg white powder plus ⅓ cup water.
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 pint heavy cream, whipped and sweetened
6 kiwi, peeled and sliced or fruit of your choice--we really like peaches

1.  Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw a 9 inch circle on the parchment paper.
2.  In a large bowl, beat egg white powder and water until stiff but not dry. Gradually add in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until thick and glossy. Over beaten egg whites lose volume and deflate when folded into other ingredients.  Gently fold in vanilla extract, lemon juice and cornstarch.
3.  Spoon mixture inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper. Working from the center, spread mixture toward the outside edge, building edge slightly. This should leave a slight depression in the center.
4.  Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a wire rack.
5.  In a small bowl beat heavy cream until stiff peaks form; set aside. Remove the paper, and place meringue on a flat serving plate. Fill the center of the meringue with whipped cream, sweetened if desired. Top whipped cream with kiwifruit slices.