A few summers ago, I was on a pavlova kick and it became my go-to dessert of the season. I had a great recipe that was delicious, and I never thought I’d want to make any tweaks, but here we are six years later with a new, and improved pavlova recipe on the site!
To be honest, as much as I loved the previous recipe, it always bothered me that my meringue baked to a toasted, rosy color. When stacked together between layers of whipped cream, the color contrast was nice, but I also wanted to be able to bake the meringue with less color without compromising the crispy exterior/chewy interior.
To update my recipe, I decided to lower my baking temperatures significantly, which would ensure that the exterior didn’t get so rosy. Next, I did some research and found that a lot of bakers were adding a little cornstarch to help give the meringue some structure and chew. Finally, a happy accident revealed that the meringue needs to bake for quite a long time in order to cook all the way through. The result is an off white meringue that cracks nicely and has that wonderful marshmallow-y chew inside.
I really love the way this recipe turned out, and I’m hoping to make a few more pavlovas before the holiday season comes to an end. Here, I dressed mine with my favorite miso whipped cream, raspberry jam, and fresh/freeze dried raspberries. Next time I’m thinking about going with chantilly cream and sliced persimmons or an array of citrus fruit. Honestly, any ripe fruit works well here. The pavlova is your oyster!
Other festive desserts and sweets:
Chocolate Earl Grey Mascarpone Cake
Matcha Shortbread Trees
Sparkly Double Chocolate Cookies
Chestnut Macarons
Berry Pavlova
- Total Time: 4 hours
- Yield: 6 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
Description
A full proof pavlova recipe that’s crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Ingredients
Pavlova
4 large egg whites (about 150 g)
Pinch of salt
1 1/8 cup (225 g) sugar
1 tsp vinegar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp (6.5 g) cornstarch
Miso Whipped Cream
1 teaspoon (5.6 g) miso
2/3 cup (160 g) heavy cream, cold
3 teaspoon (21 g) maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon (1 g) vanilla extract
Assembly
Raspberry jam
Raspberries
Pistachios
Rosemary (optional)
Instructions
Pavlova
1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F or 135 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a circle about 6 inch 15.25 cm in diameter.
2. Place the egg whites into a bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on medium high until the eggs are frothy. Then add sugar one tablesppon at a time in 30-60 second intervals. Once all the sugar has been added, whisk until the mixture holds stiff peaks and is smooth. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides, add the vinegar, vanilla extract, and cornstarch and whisk on medium for another minute to fully incorporate.
3. Place the meringue into the circle drawn on the parchment. Use a spatula to smooth out the top and sides. Create a pattern around the side with the spatula if desired. Make sure to indent the top of the mound a little bit. This will help it crack evenly as it bakes.
4. Bake for 10 minutes at 275 degrees F or 135 degrees C, then reduce the temperature to 200 degrees F or 93 degrees C and bake for about 3 hours. Let the meringue cool completely in the oven with the door closed. It can be stored like this overnight.
Miso Whipped Cream
1. Place all ingredients into a mini food processor and whiz until the heavy cream is whipped, about 30 seconds.
If you don’t have a mini food processor, heat the miso and heavy cream together. Make sure the miso has completely dissolved into the cream. Chill and whip by hand with the maple syrup and vanilla extract.
Assembly
1. Decorate the pavlova with the miso whipped cream, raspberry jam, raspberries, pistachios, and rosemary. Eat immediately after decorating.
Keywords: pavlova, berry, christmas, holiday, baking
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