Summer

Summer Berry Pavlova

by:
June 12, 2011
4
1 Ratings
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

My sister can't eat gluten, and I'm a bit intimidated by gluten-free flour desserts, so I decided to avoid flour altogether and make Pavlova for her. I was pleased to find that the meringue for Pavlova is easy and relatively un-fussy to make, and, along with whipped cream, it makes a lovely bed for whatever berries are in season. —HMC

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Ingredients
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tbsp.
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, whipped until soft and smooth with a little sugar and vanilla added
  • 3 cups Fresh berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries work great together)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Prepare a large cookie sheet by covering it with a sheet of parchment paper.
  2. Beat egg whites until glossy peaks form. Gradually add sugar, salt, beating continuously. Sprinkle corn starch, vinegar and vanilla and gently fold into egg whites.
  3. Mound the egg white mixture on the parchment and shape gently into an 8-inch circle.
  4. Put the meringue in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 250 degrees. Bake one hour, 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. While the meringue is baking, cut strawberries in half, if using, and mix them with the other berries. Add the lemon juice and a bit of sugar to taste (you don't need much!) and let berries sit in the refrigerator until the meringue is ready. They should release some nice juice that you'll use later.
  5. When it is cool and dry, place meringue on serving dish, spread whipped cream over it evenly, and top with the berry mixture, including the berry juice. Serve immediately, right from the cookie sheet.

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1 Review

Homemadecornbread June 16, 2011
Made this yesterday for a party for my gluten intolerant friend - she was thrilled. Everyone else was, too. I cut the parchment into a circle about 2 inches larger than the meringue. Used blackberries I picked near the beach, and let them marinate with a little sugar and a couple slashes of Stirrings Pomegranate Liqueur. Slid the meringue onto a round platter before topping with the cream, tinted pink with berry juice, and the berries. Elegant presentation and delicious!