#312_Mercedez-Pavlova Pie

Mercedez-Pavlova Pie
This is what happens when Pavlova crosses the path of (Brazo ni) Mecedez...

For those who are not familiar with Pavlova and Brazo de Mercedez,
let me give you a little background of each....

Pavlova: from what I understand, this is a very popular dessert in Australia and New Zealand and is the latter's national dessert. It has a meringue for the base which is crusty on the outside and marshmallow-y inside due to the addition of cornstarch in the egg white mixture. It is baked in a low temp oven for almost 1 hour which makes the top of the meringue dry and crispy. The meringue is then filled with sweetened whipped cream and topped with fresh fruits. (See more on Wikipedia, click here).

Brazo de Mercedez: is an all-time Filipino favorite dessert inspired by the Spanish cuisine. "Brazo" meaning arm, Brazo de Mercedez is literally translated as arm of Mercedez... or in other words, an arm of a lady named Mercedez.

This dessert, like the Pavlova, has a meringue base, but it is rolled like a Swiss Roll. However, unlike the Pavlova, the meringue for the Brazo de Mercedez is soft so it can be rolled up. It has a custard filling usually made of egg yolks and condensed milk.

Hybrid
A cross between Pavlova and Brazo de Mercedez.

This is what I came up with after deconstructing both desserts and put their elements together plus my own version of the pastry cream added some pizzazz to the finished product.

Now we have this dessert that is somewhat Pavlova with custard filling instead of whipped cream. It is a flat version of Brazo de Mercedez with fresh fruits and with Coconut Custard Cream Filling, instead of the traditional egg yolk-condensed milk filling. Anyway, here's how I did it....

Meringue:
6 egg whites (room temp)
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar 3/4 cup white sugar

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form..
Gradually beat in sugar.
Continue beating until stiff and glossy.

For a personal size pie...
1) Line a large baking sheet with a parchment paper.
2) Draw two 9" circles on the parchment paper, then flip the paper so the pencil mark is facing down.
3) Spoon meringue into the circles drawn on parchment paper.

Bake meringue in a pre-heated 300 degrees for about 35 minutes. Let cool.
(I like mine baked longer as I don't want an egg-y tasting meringue)


Coconut Custard Cream Filling:
(from recipe #160, click here)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup fresh milk
1 cup coconut
cream 6 egg yolks, slightly beaten

In a sauce pan, combine the sugar and flour and pour in the milk and the coconut cream and stir until the flour is totally dissolved. Turn stove on medium and cook the mixture until it becomes bubbly, stirring constantly, then turn the heat down to medium low and continue to stir. (I didn't have to cook this in a double boiler). Actually this is the only hard part of making this dessert.... constantly stirring the mixture, but in a way, this makes a good work out for the arm!

Take the pan off the heat and, pour in the egg yolks little by little, continuously stirring the mixture. Make sure not to get impatient and pour in the yolks more than a tablespoon at a time, otherwise you'll end up with scrambled eggs.

When all the yolk is added in to the mixture, return the pan to the stove and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens but spreadable like the consistency of mayonnaise.

Spread cream filling on baked meringue.

Top with your favorite fruit combo

Mango Coconut Custard Tart...
http://pinoyamericanrecipes.blogspot.com/2009/07/160incredible-mango-custard-tart.html
another way to top the meringue.

I baked the meringue in a pie pan and filled with the
Coconut Custard Cream Filling mixed with cubed mangoes
then topped with thin slices of mangoes.
Mmmmmm, irresistibly delish!!

ENJOY!!!