Receta Individual Pavlovas with Berries and Whipped Cream
Anna Pavlova The
Pavlova is a luscious concoction of whipped cream and meringue topped with any number of
combinations of fruits—passion fruit, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries,
strawberries or kiwis. The kiwi gives some hint to the origin of this
over-the-top dessert. When the ballerina
Anna Pavlova toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926, the Pavlova was created
in her honor. When you look at a finished Pavlova, you can see the resemblance: the meringue looks like a tutu. Both Australia and New Zealand lay claim
to its invention and the dispute over which country is truly the mother of the
Pavlova rages on. I prefer not to rage
over dessert—especially not one this rich and satisfying. When Andrew decided to make these for a recent
dinner party, he went to two authorities—Martha Stewart and
Ina Garten. Martha provided the method
of creating single serving pavlovas while Andrew followed Ina’s handling of the
berries. One large pavlova is spectacular
when presented at the table. But once
sliced, it loses a lot of its looks. The
meringue cracks apart and the whole thing looks like one big mess on a plate. Making them individually gives you a perfect
presentation.
Finished Meringues should be crispy
on the outside, chewy on the inside. If
you’ve never made a meringue, don’t be intimidated. A few pointers and you’re on your way. A meringue relies on egg whites reaching their maximum volume. The first step is to make sure your mixing
bowl and whisk are clean and free of any grease. Since only the whites are used, the eggs need
to be separated. Separating eggs while
they are cold makes the process easier. ( We keep the egg yolks in Ziplocs in the freezer—they’re ideal for making
ice cream.) Once you’ve got the egg
whites you need, let them come to room temperature before using them. Allow about 30 minutes. Andrew likes using superfine castor sugar in
making meringues because it dissolves faster into the egg whites. If you don’t have castor sugar, you can make
your own by putting one cup of sugar into the food processor until it’s very
fine in--about 30 to 60 seconds. You can
make your Pavlova meringues up to several days in advance of making the final
dessert. Simply store them in a cool,
dry place in an airtight container.
Here’s the recipe, first for the meringue via Martha and next for the
fruit topping via Ina.
Recipe for Individual Pavlovas with whipped cream and berries
Makes 4 Individual Pavlovas. Andrew tripled this recipe to make a dozen
with no difficulty at all. Time: 4 ½
hours. Active Time: 45 minutes
First, make the meringues:
4 large egg
whites, room temperature
1 cup plus 2
tablespoons superfine sugar
2 teaspoons
white-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon
pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Draw four
4-inch circles or one 8-inch circle onto a sheet of parchment paper. Transfer
parchment, traced side down, to a baking sheet.
Whisk egg whites and a pinch of salt with a
mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With machine running, add
sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until stiff, glossy peaks form. Sprinkle in
vinegar, cornstarch, and vanilla; whisk until just combined.
With a rubber spatula, mound meringue onto
parchment in center of circle or circles. Evenly spread meringue toward edges.
Transfer to oven, and immediately reduce temperature to 200 degrees. Bake until
meringue lifts off parchment easily, about 1 1/2 hours.
Turn off oven. Let meringue cool completely
in oven for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Once meringue is cool and completely dry, garnish
with whipped cream and top with the berry mixture, recipe follows
Make the berry filling, raspberry sauce and sweetened whipped cream
This is for
4 servings. It can be doubled or tripled
easily.
Sweetened
- Whipped Cream, recipe follows
- 1/2 pint fresh
- strawberries, hulled and sliced
- 1/2 pint
- fresh blueberries
- 1/2 pint
- fresh raspberries
- Triple
- Raspberry Sauce, recipe follows
- Combine the
- strawberries, blueberries and raspberries in a bowl and toss with about 1/2 cup
- of raspberry sauce, or enough to coat the berries lightly.
- To make the
- Sweetened Whipped Cream:
- 1 teaspoon
- pure vanilla extract
- Whip the
- cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (you can
- also use a hand mixer). When it starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla
- and continue to beat until firm. Don't overbeat!
- To make the
- Triple Raspberry Sauce:
- 1 half-pint
- fresh raspberries
- 1 cup
- seedless raspberry jam (12-ounce jar)
- 1 tablespoon
- framboise liqueur
- Place the
- raspberries, sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil,
- lower the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes. Pour the cooked raspberries, the jam,
- and framboise into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and
process until smooth.
Andrew goes an extra mile here by using a fine sieve to remove the raspberry seeds. Chill.
Assemble the Pavlovas:
Spoon the
berries carefully into the middle of the Pavlova, leaving a border of cream and
meringue. Serve immediately in large scoops with extra raspberry sauce.