Early Summer Pavlova
— GF — V —
A sweet treat to the start of summer. Couldn’t pass up all these fresh raspberries, cherries, strawberries and blueberries and not do a dessert for this month’s recipe. Slight crunch on the outside of the meringue with a chewy, marshmallow interior topped with slightly sweetened cloud of cream topped with tart and fresh fruit - the term heavenly does come to mind.
INGREDIENTS
Meringue:
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
½ tbsp lemon juice
½ tbsp vanilla extract
Whipped Cream:
1½ cups of heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 pinch of salt
Fruit & Garnishes:
Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, cherries, apricots!
Sprigs of mint, basil, lavender or calendula petals.
INSTRUCTIONS
(1) Preheat oven at 225°F. Line one large or two smaller sheet pans with parchment paper.
(2) Carefully separate your yolks from the whites. Beat egg whites on high with stand mixer or handheld for 1-2 minutes or until soft peaks form. While mixing, slowly add your sugar in small doses until you achieve smooth and glossy stiff peaks (around 10 min).
(3) Add lemon juice, vanilla and cornstarch and fold it gently in to incorporate.
(4) Couple options here: You can pipe the meringue to around 3-4” nests, or you can just scoop and gently smooth it with a bit of a indent in the centre for where the cream will go. This will make about 12-15 nests.
(5) Bake for 1hr 15min. Then turn off the oven, do NOT open the door. Let it sit in the oven for 30min.
(6) Transfer to cooling rack and let it cool completely.
(7) When ready, mix your cold heavy whipping cream on high. Once it starts to come together, but isn’t quite to the desired consistency, add your vanilla, maple syrup and pinch of salt. Continue mixing until it is thick, creamy and spreadable.
(8) When ready to serve, top meringue nests with whipping cream and your favourite fruit and garnishes! Thoroughly enjoy.
Adapted from Natasha’s Kitchen recipe.