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Berry Pavlova

 Welcome back! 

Today, we have a really interesting dish: a pavlova! This dessert hails from Australia/New Zealand, and is actually associated with summertime, which includes their Christmas/holiday season. It is similar to a meringue in terms of its composition and production, and you get a wonderful contrast between the crunchy outer shell and the fluffy interior. Plus, the fresh berries greatly add to the dish, adding color in both visual presentation and flavor.

Berry Pavlova


Ingredients:

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice/white vinegar)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the whipped cream:
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

  1. Crack the eggs open and pour the egg whites into a bowl.
  2. Mix the sugar and corn starch together in a separate bowl.
  3. Whisk until the egg whites have reached soft peaks.
  4. Add this sugar/corn starch mixture into the egg whites, 1 tablespoon at a time while whisking until stiff peaks.
  5. Fold the vinegar and vanilla extract into the mixture until it is homogenous. At this point, your batter should be pretty thick and glossy.

  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  7. On a baking pan, spread the batter out, either into one big circle or several small pavlovas. Make the top concave into shallow little bowls so that you can put the toppings on. If you want a more even circle, you could use a piping bag to make the pavlovas.

  8. Once preheated, put the baking pan in and immediately lower the heat to 250°F. Bake for 75 to 90 minutes.
  9. Once done, leave the pavlova in the oven to let it cool.
  10. After cooling, you can store the pavlovas in a sealed, dry place, but not the fridge!
  11. Prepare the whipped cream by whisking the whipping cream with the sugar until stiff peaks. Store this in the fridge until use.
  12. Assemble when you are ready to eat: Take the pavlova, spread a little bit of whipped cream on the top, and finish by generously garnishing with various berries!
Berries are the most common topping for the pavlova, but there are other various fruits that could also pair excellently with the base. Because this is a rather sweet dish, you could use some more sour fruits like kiwi or pineapple or even something like lemon curd instead of the whipping cream. Also, it is important to note that this is not a dish that can sit around for a long time; generally, you'll want to eat it within a day of making it.

-Chefpo
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