A Berry Pavlova to Usher in Summer

June 14, 2015

[x_section parallax=”true” bg_image=”” style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 1px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”#ffffff” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 30px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text][/x_text][/x_column][x_column bg_color=”” type=”3/4″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]by NYC Food Editor, Ksenia Skvortsova[/x_text][/x_column][/x_row][/x_section][x_section style=”margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; padding: 45px 0px 45px 0px; “][x_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” bg_color=”” style=”margin: 0px auto 0px auto; padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_column bg_color=”” type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px 0px 0px 0px; “][x_text]

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hile I like to think of myself as a risk taker in terms of most food, I have always gravitated to the pleasures of nostalgia-laden desserts.

Summer, in particular, tends to recall the lazy, hazy days of childhood, days when you were completely worry-free and more often than not – full of delicious treats. So why not try to recapture that happy time? The easiest way is to make the dessert that goes along with it. [x_pullquote type=”right”]An important tip to make sure your pavlova is as fluffy as a tulle skirt – make sure that the egg whites are at room temperature, but that the heavy cream is cold.[/x_pullquote]

Pavlova – a light meringue-based fruit dessert – is especially popular in Australia and New Zealand (I believe there is some contention over who came up with it first!). Although it is aptly named after the light-as-air-on-her-feet Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, this is, curiously enough, not a dessert common in Russian cuisine.

An important tip to make sure your pavlova is as fluffy as a tulle skirt – make sure that the egg whites are at room temperature, but that the heavy cream is cold.

Summer Pavlova

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Ksenia Skvortsova

Ingredients

4 egg whites (use large/jumbo eggs)
1 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
1 peach, thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300F and line a round springform pan with parchment.
Whisk the egg whites, using a mixer, until they form stiff peaks. Add in the sugar gradually, about 1 tablespoon at a time, and keep whisking to combine. After all the sugar has been added, whisk for another 5 minutes until the egg whites are glossy and hold a strong shape. Add in the vinegar and whisk to combine.
Use a spatula to spoon the meringue into the prepared pan. Reduce the oven temperature to 250F. Bake the meringue for about an hour and a half and let cool completely in a closed, turned off oven – give it time!
In the meantime, make the whipped cream – beat or whisk the cold cream until it is soft and fluffy.
Assemble the pavlova: layer the whipped cream and the cut fruit over the meringue and serve generous slices.

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