Strawberry Pavlova

By Nigella Lawson

Strawberry Pavlova
Sang An for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Total Time
2 hours
Rating
5(3,197)
Comments
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The particular joy of this dreamy dessert, which was named in honor of the Russian ballerina, is that the meringue base can be made in advance. Then to serve it, drizzle the strawberries with a little balsamic vinegar and vanilla (a combination that brings out the fullest essential flavor of the fruit), whip some cream and arrange it all on a plate. It’s magnificent, and deliriously easy.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

    For the Meringue

    • 4egg whites
    • Pinch of salt
    • 1¼cups superfine sugar
    • 2teaspoons cornstarch
    • 1teaspoon white-wine vinegar
    • A few drops vanilla extract

    For the Topping

    • 1pound strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
    • ½teaspoon high-quality vanilla extract
    • 1teaspoon high-quality balsamic vinegar
    • 2teaspoons superfine sugar
    • 2cups heavy cream
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

468 calories; 29 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 48 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 77 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To prepare meringue: heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and draw a circle on the paper using an 8- or 9- inch cake pan as a guide. Flip the parchment over so the pencil marking is facing down (this ensures that the pencil won't transfer to the meringue). In bowl of an electric mixer, combine egg whites and salt. Begin beating at low speed, slowly increasing to high. Continue until satiny peaks begin to form; gradually beat in sugar a tablespoon at a time until meringue is stiff and shiny.

  2. Step 2

    Sprinkle in cornstarch, white-wine vinegar and vanilla, and fold in gently. Mound onto parchment within circle, and shape into a disk, flattening top and smoothing sides. Place in oven, and immediately reduce heat to 300 degrees. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off heat, and allow meringue to cool completely in oven.

  3. Step 3

    To prepare topping: in a mixing bowl, combine strawberries, vanilla, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours.

  4. Step 4

    To serve, carefully peel off parchment and place meringue on a platter or cake stand. Gently crack the top with the back of a soup spoon to make a shallow nest for the whipped cream and berries. Whip cream until it is thick enough to hold peaks, and spoon it evenly over meringue. Cover cream with strawberries, allowing a small amount of their liquid to dribble onto cream. Serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,197 user ratings
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Comments

Aunty Bob

Please know pavlova is a New Zealand creation. Australians get in a bit of a tizzy about it. But they are wrong. The eggs MUST be at room temperature. For four egg whites (rather small pav) I recommend reducing cornstarch to a bit less than 1 ½ tsp and vinegar to a scant ¾ tsp. 350 degrees is waaaay too hot~ 250 is good and never ever open the oven door. And don’t even think about sweetening the whipped cream. That’s all I got. Kia ora!

Jada

A nice option instead of the whipped topping is making any type of fruit curd for the pavlova! It's an easy way to use those leftover egg yolks.
Lemon, passion fruit, rhubarb curd - all yummy and so easy to make.

The fruit curd can also be a lovely addition to the whipped topping instead of the fresh strawberries if you don't have any fresh fruit available!

Patricia Sears

I followed the meringue recipe exactly except I heeded one note of advice here by a reader to bake at lower temperature (250). It was a disaster. A flat, beige coloured sticky mess.

So, I remade following Jamie Oliver's recipe for meringue. (6 egg whites, 300 grams of sugar, pinch of salt, bake at 300 for an hour. Ooh wow. BEAUTIFUL. Crackling crust of golden and cream meringue with meltingly fluffy interior.

This was the hit of my son's 30th birthday party.

Alicia

This is delicious. I have halved it and it works just fine. We don't do the berry part of the recipe - just slice strawberries and serve with. I will say that if you don't follow the instructions of slowly getting to the "satiny peaks", the meringue will not stiffen - learned the hard way. Otherwise, it's dead easy so good.

Heidi

This tasted good but presented poorly. Too much whipped creme spilled over the sides carrying the strawberries with it. Next time I will make individual servings and present it in margarita glasses.

Max

I baked this, but adjusted it to take 6 egg whites, 1.5 cups sugar, 1.5 teaspoons white wine vinegar, 1.5 teaspoons corn starch, and a generous .5-1 teaspoons vanilla extract. First one cracked at the original temps, so on this second one, I preheated to 300 and dropped the temp to 250 after putting it in. I’ll let it go for 1.5 hours.

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