Summer Pavlovas
I’ve got a good circle of Australian friends here in L.A., and you can be sure that no invitation, be it a BBQ or a classy affair, is complete without a billowing pavlova mounded with fresh berries. You can pair the meringues with anything from whipped cream to custard and ice cream; any way you serve it, its rustic look means you don’t have to be a pastry chef to make it look like a million dollars.
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Ingredients
Meringue
- 4 Egg Whites
- 1 cup Sugar
Classic Vanilla Pastry Cream
- 4 Yolks
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1/2 Vanilla bean or 2 tsps extract
- 2 Tbsp Cornstarch potato starch will also work
- 1 cup Whole milk
Instructions
Meringue
- Bring 2 cups water to a simmer in a medium-sized saucepot. Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk the mixture in the stand mixer bowl over the pot of simmering water until the eggs feel warmer than room temperature to the touch (about 110 degrees).
- Immediately place bowl onto mixer stand and whip with the beater attachment until you reach stiff peaks.
- Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Spoon one large or 6 small mounds of meringue onto the parchment paper. Using the back of a clean spoon, make an indentation in the middle of each mound.
- Bake for 1-1/2 hours (a little less for smaller ones). Fill with ice cream, pastry cream (see below), whipped cream, or lemon curd and top with fresh berries. Serve immediately.
Classic Vanilla Pastry Cream
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks and sugar. Add in vanilla (or any other flavoring) and flour. Whisk for another minute until smooth.
- Meanwhile, bring whole milk to a simmer in a medium pot. Start whisking your eggs as you add half of the milk to the egg mixture, whisking the whole time.
- Start whisking the milk in the pot and pour the the egg/milk mixture back into the pot, stirring the custard over medium heat until it thickens. As soon as it thickens, turn the heat off and continue whisking until almost as thick as pudding. Pour into a bowl and let it cool, covered, until ready to spoon into the dents in your pavlova(s). Garnish with fresh berries.
