Pavlova dessert with fresh berries
2 servings
35 minutes
The dessert 'Pavlova' is an airy cloud of delight created in honor of the legendary Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. The light, crispy meringue shell hides a tender, slightly chewy center—an ideal combination of textures. The vanilla aroma of the sweet meringue harmonizes with fresh cream and berries, creating a refreshing and refined taste. Inspired by the grace and lightness of ballet, this dish is perfect for summer evenings when one desires something sweet yet not heavy. The 'Pavlova' dessert highlights the natural beauty of fresh fruits and offers exquisite pleasure to anyone who tries it.
1
We whip the egg whites at high speed until a thick foam forms, then we start adding sugar in a thin stream without stopping the whipping. We need stiff peaks. To be honest, I've never baked meringue or pavlova before and have never whipped eggs to any peaks; this was my first experience, but it turned out quite successful. Stiff peaks mean that the whipped egg white mixture holds its shape for a few seconds and doesn't spread immediately. Overall, it's not difficult; you just need to be patient and whip for a long time.
- Egg white: 2 pieces
- Vanilla sugar: 120 g
2
After achieving the desired consistency of our protein mass, we add starch and vinegar, evenly distributing it throughout the mass, and we can finally move on to baking. From these proportions, I ended up with two portion-sized Pavlovas. I drew two circles on the baking paper laid on the baking sheet, each slightly smaller than a saucer, and carefully placed the protein mass on them.
- Starch: 2 teaspoons
- Vinegar: 1 teaspoon
3
Bake for 25 minutes at 170 degrees. But be sure to keep an eye on it! Pavlova should turn a light cream color and have a thin crust. Ovens can behave unpredictably, so if the crust isn't baked, you can slightly increase the baking time.
4
We let the Pavlova cool directly in the oven. After that, we place it on a plate, drizzle it with cream, and decorate it with berries. For decoration, whipped cream (at least 33%) and fresh berries are usually used, but I wanted to make a bright summer 'batch' of Pavlova, so I whipped the cream with a little fresh blueberries and used pretty blueberries for decoration.
- Whipped cream: 1 glass
- Fresh berries: 110 g