Pavlova with Berries

This beautiful dessert was named after the famous Russian ballerina - Anna Pavlova. Like its namesake, this dessert is light, sweet and goes well with fruit. It is usually served with berries and whipped cream, which is how I show it. It is a delightful dessert to have anytime of the year, but especially during the warm summer months. It is also quite a beautiful dessert, yet relatively easy to make. If you’ve never made meringue before this is an easy one to start with.

This recipe is from the book, the Art and Soul of Baking by Cindy Mushet.

If you want the egg whites to whip up easily, let them sit in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours! They will slightly “age” and dry out. It will be so easy to whip them into stiff peaks.

Ingredients

fresh berries - can use strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries

heavy whipping cream

powdered sugar

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3 large egg whites

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

pinch of salt

1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and turn oven to 250F. Position oven rack to the center (I always do this when baking). Put the egg whites, cornstarch, salt and cream of tarter into a stand mixer bowl. Mix on medium speed until egg whites are soft. Add in granulated sugar slowly, in small batches. Increase speed to high. You want really stiff peaks that will hold their shape and that are glossy. I add the vanilla in near the end of the mixing.

I used a piping bag and tip to create the mini basket shaped pavlovas. But you could easily spoon small individual sized meringues onto the parchment. They will not get much bigger, so try to arrange neatly onto your baking sheet. Bake for 50-55 minutes until crisp, they shouldn’t have any color on them. If they do, turn your oven temperature down a little. If you want your pavlova to be extra crisp, let it say in the oven after you have turned out the heat, they will dry out more.

Serve with whipped cream (sweetened with powdered sugar) and fresh berries. Click here for my easy whipped cream recipe.