Pavlova

Recipe by: Nick Malgieri | from A Baker's Tour: Nick Malgieri's Favorite Baking Recipes from Around the World

Cookstr

Course: Dessert

Total Time: Under 4 Hours

Skill Level: Moderate

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by: Shutterstock, stock photo of a similar dish.

This delicate meringue cake honors the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova (1882-1931). Pavlova performed in Perth for only one season, in 1929, to stellar reviews. A few years later the pastry chef at the hotel where she had stayed, the Esplanade, created this meringue and cream cake and named it after her, both because it is light and because it resembles a tutu. Today a “Pav,” as it is generally referred to in Australia, is that country’s national dessert par excellence. I tasted many versions in Australia, though none were as good as the one below made by my dear friend in Melbourne, the food stylist Maureen Mckeon.

In Australia, the fruit for topping is usually passion fruit pulp, or a combination of passion fruit pulp and bananas. Maureen also suggests using sliced strawberries or mixed berries in summer. A Pavlova makes a great Passover dessert if you substitute potato starch for the cornstarch.

Yield: One 10-inch cake, about 16 servings

INGREDIENTS

Meringue layer:

1 cup (about 7 or 8 large) egg whites, at room temperature
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2½ cups sugar, divided
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Topping:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
About 1½ to 2 cups fruit: passion fruit pulp, or other fruit (see headnote)

Equipment:

1 cookie sheet or jelly-roll pan lined with parchment

Directions

1. Set a rack in the middle level of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees. Trace a 10-inch circle with dark pencil on the parchment paper and turn it over. Lightly butter the paper and sprinkle with a thin coating of cornstarch. You should still be able to see the traced circle.

2. Pour the egg whites, salt, vinegar, and vanilla into the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on medium speed with the whisk attachment until the egg whites are white, opaque, and beginning to hold a very soft peak. Increase the speed to medium high and whip in 2 cups of the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, whipping for 20 to 30 seconds after each addition.

3. After all the sugar has been added, the meringue should stand in very stiff peaks.

4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and quickly mix the remaining ½ cup of sugar with the cornstarch. Fold the mixture into the meringue.

5. Scrape the meringue onto the prepared pan and spread it with a medium offset spatula, using the traced circle as your guide, into a straight-sided, straight-topped disk about 2 inches tall. Try to spread the meringue as evenly and symmetrically as possible; there is no opportunity to trim it after it has baked.

6. Bake the meringue disk for 15 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 225 degrees and bake an additional 1½ hours. Turn off the oven and open the door. Cool the meringue disk in the turned-off oven. For advance preparation, keep the meringue disk loosely covered with plastic wrap at a dry room temperature. Humid weather will soften it to a gooey mess.

7. To finish the Pavlova, slide the cooled meringue disk from the paper to a platter. Whip the cream and spread it evenly on the top of the meringue disk. Neatly top the whipped cream with the chosen fruit. Some of the fruit will invariably drip down the side. Use a sharp serrated knife to cut the Pavlova into wedges.

Notes

As you might suspect, this doesn’t keep well. Don’t throw away leftovers, but keeping them in the refrigerator will soften the meringue. If you are going to prepare the meringue disk in advance, top it with the cream and fruit at the last minute, just before you are going to serve it.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Calories 245kcal (12%)

Sodium 58mg (2%)

Total Carbohydrate 35g

Fiber 1g

Fat 11g (17%)

Trans Fat 0g

Saturated Fat 7g (34%)

Monounsaturated Fat 3g

Polyunsaturated Fat 0g

Cholesterol 41mg (14%)