Mary Berry's Christmas Pavlova-Australia #127

Mary Berry's Christmas Pavlova- Australia #127

Pavlova, a meringue dessert, is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It was created to honor the dancer after one of her tours to Australia in the 1920's.  The meringue has a crisp crust and soft, light inside, usually topped with fruit and whipped cream.  In this recipe a pastry cream fills the grooves made into the meringue, then topped with fruit.

Pavlova:

  • 6 large white eggs
  • 1-1/2 c. superfine sugar, aka caster sugar
  • 1 tsp. white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp. corn flour

Filling:

  • 2-1/2 c. heavy cream
  • 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste or 1 T. vanilla extract
  • 3-1/2 T. confectioners' sugar, sifted

Topping:

  • 1/2 pt. strawberries, hulled & quartered
  • 1-1/3 c. raspberries
  • 1/2 pt. blueberries
  • 3-1/2 T. pomegranate seeds
  • mint leaves 
  • confectioners's sugar for dusting
  1.  Pavlova:Preheat oven 300F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment.  Draw a 12" circle in the middle.  Draw a 6" circle in center.
  2. Put the egg whites in mixing bowl and whisk until soft peaks are formed. Gradually add sugar, a little at a time, whisking on maximum speed until stiff and glossy. 
  3. Mix the vinegar and cornflour in a cup until smooth, then stir into egg whites.
  4. Spoon the meringue onto the 12" ring.  
  5. Make a shallow trench for the cream and fruit.
  6. Transfer to oven and reduce to 200F.  Bake 1 to 1-1/4 hours, until outside is hard but still white.  Be careful, it can easily turn brown. Turn oven off and leave in oven for an hour or overnight to cool and dry.
  7. Filling: Whip the cream, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form.  Spoon the cream into the trench.  
  8. Arrange fruit on top and decorate with mint.  Dust with confectioners' sugar.
Results: Making the Pavlova is not difficult; the baking is the challenge. Patience is required. Being very watchful also helps. I learned the hard way, or should I say wasteful way.  The first Pavlova came out brown, as did the second. As the saying goes, the 3rd time is the charm.  I sat on the kitchen floor for 1 hour and watched that sucker bake. It worked. White! I kept it in the oven over night. The filling is easy. I didn't have pomegranate seeds, not really necessary. 
Bottom Line: Delicious, Mate! Everyone loved it. It certainly is a show stopper. 

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