Almond Pavlova With Balsamic Berries & Whipped Cream

I feel a little like a superhero on this one.  Like I’ve tackled something a proper baker would do with ease.

Or maybe I’ve just been watching too many Great British Bake-Off episodes…which is probably true anyway, but my point is that they are ALWAYS using meringue of some sort and getting all fancy, but it’s always felt like something a bit too complicated and fiddly for regular ol’ folks.  However, I’m here to tell you that it’s amazing and delicious, and we all need to go out and make pavlovas RIGHT THIS SECOND!

See, I’ve never been a huge fan of meringues…like those hard little cookies that are like styrofoam?  So this was a baking technique that I wasn’t quite rarin’ to try.  But what I discovered was that there is a key difference between a meringue and a pavlova.

What makes a pavlova magical is that, after you’ve whipped the egg whites and added all the sugar, you add a tiny bit of vinegar and cornstarch.  This is chemistry sorcery, and results in an amazing marshmallow-y center with the meringue’s crispy outside.  As a bonus, this is naturally gluten-free, so can be a fancy but still easy dessert to make when you need something GF.

These are so versatile and can be topped with all sorts of things.  You definitely want something sharp or tart to offset the intense sweetness, and I’m looking forward to experimenting with some more “out there” flavor combinations.  But for this one, I went with one of my favorite combos of all time—almond and berry.  Because I thought, “What can make this even better?? Easy: almond pavlova!”  This is kind of like a posh strawberry shortcake, and you’ll be wow-ed by the lush, pillowy textures, the chewiness of the meringue, and the way all the flavors explode in your mouth.

Preheat the oven to 300 F (I did 280 F on convection).  You’ll definitely want to use your stand mixer if possible, as this requires a massive amount of whipping.

Whisk together the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.  Once you have good stiff peaks, start adding the sugar, 1/4 of a cup at a time and whisk for about 1 minute after each addition.  You want the sugar to be dissolved before adding the next amount.  You can test this by gently rubbing a tiny bit of the mixture between your fingers—if it’s grainy, keep whisking.

After the last of the sugar has been added, whisk on high for 3 minutes.  The mixture should be very thick and glossy at this point.  Finally, add in the cornstarch, vanilla, vinegar, and almond extract, and whisk until just combined.

Line a tray with baking parchment; you can put a tiny dab of the meringue underneath the corners to keep it from sliding (Mary Berry trick!).

Scoop out the meringue mixture, forming a big circle, then pile the rest of the mixture on top.  Using the spoon or a spatula, gently shape the pavlova, making it nice and rounded (and I like it to have some height).  You can add swirls to the outside, or even pipe some of the mixture for extra pizzazz.

Reduce oven temperature to 250 F (230 F convection) and place the meringue in the oven on the middle shelf.  Cook for at least 1 hour, but it could be up to an hour and a half.  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN UNTIL AT LEAST AN HOUR HAS PASSED!  Use the oven light to see the pavlova if necessary.

The pavlova should be lightly browned and dry to the touch when it’s done (at that point you can quickly open the oven door and touch it).  When it’s done, turn off the oven, and leave the pavlova in the oven with the door closed for 3 hours until the pavlova is cooled down.

While the pavlova is baking, make the balsamic berries.  Cut up the strawberries and add blueberries (and anything else you have).  Cook on low with some sugar and a splash of the balsamic vinegar (all of that will need to be to taste, depending on the amount of berries…but it having some bite is good because the pavlova is really sweet).  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berry mixture has reduced to a thicker consistency.  Let it cool completely before serving.

This is roughly what your almond pavlova will look like when it’s totally cooled.  It’s really delicate, so some cracking is normal.

Serve with whipped cream and the berries in the center.  The pavlova is going to be pretty delicate, but it doesn’t matter because you’re going to destroy it anyway 🙂

Case in point.  Sheer heaven.

You might also like:

• Mini Pavlovas with Grapefruit Curd & Berries
• A Healthier Strawberry Shortcake for a Big Group
• Peach Raspberry Cobbler
• Bourbon Cherry Crisp with Brown Butter Streusel
• Another British classic:  Traditional Sticky Toffee Pudding (Cake)

Almond Pavlova with Balsamic Berries & Whipped Cream

I halved the original recipe (linked below), which uses 6 eggs (and is monster-sized); this serves 2-4 depending on how many calories you are willing to take in…

• 3 egg whites, at room temperature
• 3/4 cups of granulated/caster sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon of cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon of white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
• 1 cup of cream, for whipping
• Strawberries or other fresh berries, for serving
• White balsamic vinegar and sugar for the berries (regular balsamic is fine too)

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F (I did 280 F on convection).
2. You’ll definitely want to use your stand mixer if possible, as this requires a massive amount of whipping.  Whisk together the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.
3. Once you have good stiff peaks, start adding the sugar, 1/4 of a cup at a time and whisk for about 1 minute after each addition.  You want the sugar to be dissolved before adding the next amount.  You can test this by gently rubbing a tiny bit of the mixture between your fingers—if it’s grainy, keep whisking.
4. After the last of the sugar has been added, whisk on high for 3 minutes.  The mixture should be very thick and glossy at this point.
5. Add in the cornstarch, vanilla, vinegar, and almond extract, and whisk until just combined.
6. Line a tray with baking parchment; you can put a tiny dab of the meringue underneath the corners to keep it from sliding (Mary Berry trick!).
7. Scoop out the meringue mixture, forming a big circle, then pile the rest of the mixture on top.  Using the spoon or a spatula, gently shape the pavlova, making it nice and rounded.  You can add swirls to the outside, or even pipe some of the mixture for extra pizzazz.
8. Reduce oven temperature to 250 F (230 F convection) and place the meringue in the oven on the middle shelf.
9. Cook for at least 1 hour, but it could be up to an hour and a half.  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN UNTIL AT LEAST AN HOUR HAS PASSED!  Use the oven light to see the pavlova if necessary.  The pavlova should be lightly browned and dry to the touch when it’s done (at that point you can quickly open the oven door and touch it).
10. When it’s done, turn off the oven, and leave the pavlova in the oven with the door closed for 3 hours until the pavlova is cooled down.
11. Serve with whipped cream and berries in the center.  To make the balsamic berries, cut up the strawberries and add blueberries (and anything else you have).  Cook on low with some sugar and a splash of the balsamic vinegar (all of that will need to be to taste, depending on the amount of berries).  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berry mixture has reduced to a thicker consistency.  Let it cool completely before serving.

Adapted from The Home Cook’s Kitchen

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