Berry pavlova

· by · in Desserts. ·

Berry Pavlova

I can’t believe it took me so long to post a Nigel Slater’s recipe! And to make my first pavlova 🙂 So I’m glad he is the chosen chef for the next six months at I Heart Cooking Clubs.

Ok, I’ll admit it: this is very time-consuming. But so worth it! And most of it can be made ahead – which I didn’t, I made the lemon curd and whipped the cream whilst the meringue was baking :\

I had some problems transferring the meringue disk from the baking tray to the serving plate and this was probably due to my haste at turning off the oven because the pav was starting to brown. But in the end it turned out so yummy and moreish that we turned a blind eye to the looks 😛

BERRY PAVLOVA
(adapted from Nigel Slater’s Lemon and Passion Fruit Pavlova)

MERINGUE
6 egg whites
375g caster sugar
3 tsp cornflour
a few drops of white wine vinegar

TOPPING
300ml double or whipping cream
3 tbsp caster sugar
5 tbsp lemon curd
450g your choice of berries (I used frozen mixed berries)

METHOD
Preheat oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with parchment (use the bottom of a loose bottomed cake tin to draw a circle of about 23cm on the other side of the parchment).
Put the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer, add a pinch of salt and beat them at a medium to fast speed until they are thick and glossy. Add the sugar in three lots, only adding the next when the previous is thoroughly mixed in. It is ready when the meringue gets stiff and shiny. Fold in cornflour and vinegar.
Scoop meringue onto the prepared tray, making it as round and even as possible. Flatten the top gently and put into the oven. After a minute or two, turn the oven down to 150°C and bake for 70 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool inside the oven.
Meanwhile, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Beat in the sugar, then fold in the lemon curd.
Run a palette knife around the edge of the pavlova and carefully transfer it to a serving plate. Spread the lemon cream lightly on top of the soft meringue and garnish with the berries.

NOTE: This red sauce is simply the liquids of the defrosted berries 😉

This will be my entry for Fiesta Friday this week and, of course, for I Heart Cooking Clubs Cooking with Nigel Slater.

I party @ Fiesta Friday I Heart Cooking Clubs - Nigel Slater

57 responses to “Berry pavlova”

  3. Welcome to IHCC, Erika – how lovely to have you cooking with us. I’ve had great success with Nigella Lawson’s pavlova, and also with Donna Hay’s (two of our previous IHCC chefs), so I can’t wait to try Nigel Slater’s.

    I’ve always found that I get best success with getting off the baking tray and onto the plate if I make a pav the night before and then leave it in the oven to cool completely overnight.

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  7. I’ve never had a pavlova and this looks simply beautiful. The crust is so lovely, not brown at all, and it looks like you did a better job transferring it than you think. Love the look of all those berries on top!

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  8. Erika, this pav looks like it has just the right texture, and a bit of cracking makes it look rustic, right? This is one of my favourite desserts ever and you’ve nailed it, can I have some more? 😀

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  14. Hi Erica! We are honoured that you would bring your first pavlova to Fiesta Friday! It is gorgeous and I am loading my plate up with a huge slice as we speak! You know, I think Pavlova is my favourite dessert and your idea of the lemon curd is fabulous! Thanks so much for bringing this!

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    • Thank you, Julianna! I hope you enjoyed your slice 😉 Actually the lemon curd was Nigel Slater’s idea. I was hesitant at first but who am I to doubt such a brilliant chef?

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  16. Wow, this is a stunning pavlova! You’ve done a terrific job 🙂 I’ve always wanted to make a pavlova, but I enjoy the cooking side of things way more than I do baking. I would love to enjoy a slice of this. Looks heavenly 🙂

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  19. Hi Erika, welcome to IHCC! 😉 It’s great to have you cooking along with us. Your berry pavlova is just gorgeous–I would so love to dig into it. What a perfect way to welcome Nigel as our new chef.

    Aloha,

    Deb

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    • Thank you, Jenny! Glad to hear that – it’s actually quite easy to make and you probably have all the basic ingredients at home. So shake the fear off and let’s bake a pav 😀

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  22. Your pavlova looks a complete success. I love the idea of lemon curd, which I will use from now on. Thanks for bringing this classic dessert to Fiesta Friday.

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  25. Erika, that is a beautiful pavlova. I just want to dive into it. Thank you for bringing this to Fiesta Friday. We’ve been waiting for you to arrive, and now that you’re here, let the party resume once again! 🙂

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  26. Pingback: Fiesta Friday #10 | The Novice Gardener·

  27. Looks very nice. I’ve never made a desert with meringues and when I was doing a key lime pie last week, with egg yolks, the recipe told me to make and freeze some meringues so as not to waste the albumin.

    Not the time or the place to start that so I put them out on the plate in the garden for the hedgehog instead should he wake up and appear. A street cat ate them.

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    • Thanks, FM! You should try the key lime pie with meringue atop (4 tbsp sugar for each egg white), alternatively you could freeze them as they were for another recipe. But I have to say that feeding a cat in need sounds much better 🙂

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      • The hedgehog might have been in need – last night I heard him scratching under the shed, but I haven’t seen one this Spring yet – but as for the cats I did wonder for a long time if one of them was a stray, but he’s been around for a few years now (still no idea where he comes from) but he must be living somewhere.

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        • Poor hedgehog! My neighbour has a cat that is always asking me for food. I got him a bowl and whenever he shows up I feed him – he’s adorable but unfortunately not well cared for.

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