i’m excited to share this one with you today!
i’ve been wanting to test out this concept for a while. and was reminded about it when flipping through a recent food & nutrition magazine. so i did it…
here we go.
did you know that the liquid from a can of chickpeas, the cooking liquid that is packed with the beans, can be whipped to create a meringue? it acts just like egg whites, but is vegan. you know… the stuff we always drain into the sink and toss. who knew, right?
this was discovered just last year (2015) by a dude from indiana named goose wohlt. he called it aquafaba, being a loose latin translation of “water” and “bean”.
aquafaba can be used to make macarons, meringues, custards, marshmallows, waffles. even foams and cocktails at some fancy restaurants. pretty much anything whipped egg whites are needed for. fascinating.
my inner food scientist wanted to play, so i tried it out!
indeed, it whipped up beautifully and then baked into a crunchy, sweet meringue. some simple toppings and this lovely aquafaba very berry pavlova (vegan, too) was born.
then, in the name of ultimate frugality, make yourself a nice plate of falafel.
aquafaba very berry pavlova is the tastiest easiest #GF vegan dessert to start playing with that egg-free meringue! Click To Tweet
Aquafaba Very Berry Pavlova
Ingredients
- aquafaba liquid from 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, chilled (chickpeas strained out and used for another purpose)
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch or cornstarch
- sweetened whipped cream
- strawberry jam melted
- berries strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, yellow raspberries
- mint leaves
- rose petals
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 275°.
- Combine aquafaba and apple cider vinegar in the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl. Beat with whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add sugar, one tablespoon at a time, beating with whisk attachment, until mixture reaches stiff peaks. Stir in vanilla and arrowroot starch.
- Spread meringue into a large circle on a parchment lined baking sheet (leaving room for circle to spread slightly while baking).
- Place baking sheet in oven and reduce temperature to 250°. Bake for 2 hours or until meringue is set and hollow. Allow to cool.
- Spread whipped cream evenly over cooked meringue. Top cream with berries. Drizzle melted jam over berries and sprinkle with mint leaves and rose petals, if desired.
