Peach and Berry Pavlova with Lemon Curd
Summer fruits season calls for ways to maximize the fresh sweetness that always seems too short for me. So, when stone fruits and berries can be enjoyed without cooking them down, I’m in!
Pavlova’s are mostly commonly known in New Zealand or Australia, to the beginnings of their creation. But really, this dessert can be enjoyed anywhere! By appearance, it looks like a meringue (which it is on the outside), but if cooked correctly, will have a softer marshmallow like center). Pavlova’s are light and sweet and are a type of meringue.
This dessert is credited to the famous Russian prima ballerina when she toured down under in the 1920s. Pretty great if you can inspire a dessert to honor your achievements!
Pavlova recipe is a summary from Cooks Illustrated. I find their process fool proof.
Peach and Berry Pavlova with Lemon Curd
Equipment
- Instant read thermometer
- Medium sized pot
- Stand mixer
- Parchment paper
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ¾ cup egg whites 5 to 7 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons confectioners/ Icing sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup lemon curd – homemade or store bought
- 1 ½ cups berries – saskatoon blueberries, raspberries, blackberries
- 1 peach sliced thin and sprinkled with lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons mint leaves sliced thin or julienned
Instructions
- Trace a 9-inch circle on the parchment paper and flip over so the undrawn side is face up. Place parchment onto baking sheet.
- Preheat oven to 250F.
- In stand mixer bowl, add sugar to egg whites.
- Boil an inch of water in a medium pot to use as a double boiler. Place stand mixer bowl on top of the medium pot and gently whisk the sugar and egg white mixture until 160-165F. This warming of the egg whites allows the egg proteins to gently unwind.
- Put stand mixer bowl into the stand mixer and whip on high speed for about 5 minutes until the egg whites are glossy, fluffy and keep its shape.
- Add vinegar, cornstarch and vanilla extract and whip to incorporate.
- Transfer the egg white batter to the parchment paper on the baking sheet. Using a spoon or silican spatula, spread the egg white batter to the shape of the circle with a dip in the middle for filling later. Fluffed egg white will be rustic that is glossy but not uniform in shape. Once baked, there will be cracks and lines, so smoothing the egg white batter into a perfect circle is not necessary.
- Place fluffed egg white into oven and bake for 90 minutes.
- Use a cake server to lift pavlova off the parchment sheet by ¼ inch, If the entire pavlova lifts, it is ready, otherwise it will need to cook longer. Leave pavlova in the oven, turn off the heat and wedge a wooden spoon int the door so that the pavlova can continue to dry in the oven for 90 minutes.
Assembly
- Cool pavlova to room temperature before assembling.
- Whip whipping cream with confectioners/icing sugar and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks.
- Spread about 2/3 of the lemon curd mixture into the middle of the pavlova
- Spread whipping cream on top of the lemon curd.
- Spread berries and peaches on whipping cream
- Dot remaining lemon curd on top of the fruit.
- Garnish with mint leaves
- Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving to enable the pavlova to absorb some of the moisture from lemon curd, making it easier to slice.