Once it comes to a celebration or any other special occasion, Pavlova is always my favorite dessert to make! It looks very elegant yet pretty easy to make; overall definitely a crowd pleasing dessert! Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It has a very crispy crust and a soft, marshmallowy texture in the middle.
The key to making a great pavlova is patient! This is one of the recipes that you can not rush it. It needs to be baked in a very low temperature with no peaking through the oven and cool down very slowly while it’s still in the oven.
Pavlova usually topped with whipped cream and piles of fresh fruit. Depends on the season, you can choose your favorite fruits and if you want to go further than whipped cream, pastry cream, crème anglaise or mascarpone cream can be a great substitute. This recipe has a perfect a balance of sweet and sour, and it’s an ideal light dessert to eat after a heavy meal.
Ingredients:
Pavlova wreath
4 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Raspberry mint coulis
1 cup fresh raspberries
2/3 cup sugar
10 fresh mint leaves
1 tablespoon lemon juice
To serve
1 cup heavy cream (35%)
3 tablespoon icing sugar
1 cup fresh strawberries (cut in half or quarter)
1 cup fresh raspberries
2 tablespoon slivered pistachio
Instructions
Pavlova Wreath:
Preheat the oven to 225°F. Place an oven rack in a lower part of the oven.
Use a pen draw a 10-inch circle on a parchment paper. Then draw a 6-inch circle in center of the larger circle. Place the parchment paper on a baking sheet, draw side down.
Using an electric stand mixer or hand mixer, whip egg whites in a dry clean bowl for about 3 minutes on medium speed until soft picks form.
turn the mixer to medium-high speed. Start adding the sugar slowly 1 tablespoon at a time until all the sugar is incorporated. The egg whites should be triple in size, in stiff peak form and shiny by now.
Mix the corn starch and white vinegar together. Add the mixture to the egg white with vanilla extract and keep whipping for another minute.
Transfer the mixture to a pipping bag with a plain pipping tip. Pipe 8-9 even mounds onto parchment paper, using trace ring as a guide. Use back of a spoon create a hollow in each mound.
Bake it in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes. After that, turn the oven off and let the pavlova sits in there for at least 1 hour. Do not open the oven door at all or the pavlova can be cracked.
Raspberry Mint Coulis:
Meanwhile the pavlova is in the oven, in a small sauce pan bring raspberries, sugar and mint leaves to boil over a medium heat.
reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for about 10 minutes or until sugar is dissolved and raspberries are soft.
Turn it off the heat and blend the mixture with a hand blender. Pour it to a bowl through a very fine sieve. Add the lemon juice and let it cool down.
To Serve:
whip the whipping cream with icing sugar until the stiff peaks form.
Spread the whipped cream on top of the Pavlova.
Spoon the raspberry coulis on top.
Top it with fresh berries and slivered pistachio.
نوش جان
Note: Pavlova can be made ahead a couple of days, store covered in a cool dry place. But once it's topped with cream and fruits it's best to be serve in the same day.
