This is Nigella Lawson’s version of this lovely dessert. The pavlova is known as the national dessert of New Zealand, named for Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured New Zealand and Australia in 1926. The story goes that a chef in Wellington created the billowy dessert in her honor, claiming inspiration from her tutu! So it seemed like it would make a perfect birthday cake for a friend with property in North Island. The meringue base can be made ahead, and at serving time you simply top the meringue with berries and whipped cream. Nigella believes a little balsamic vinegar and vanilla brings out the full flavor of the fruit.
I must admit I was a little worried about creating the meringue, and watched a video on-line about how to make one. Many comments about what temperature the oven should be, some thinking 300 was too hot. I ended up turning the oven down to 275 degrees, which seemed to work fine. (300 probably would have been as well.) Not hard to make actually, and easy to put together.
For the Meringue:
4 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. white wine vinegar
A few drops vanilla extract
For the Topping:
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered
1/2 tsp. high quality vanilla extract
1 tsp. high-quality balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. superfine sugar
2 cups heavy cream
To prepare the 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 the 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.
Sprinkle in cornstarch, white-wine vinegar and vanilla, and fold in gently. Mound onto parchment within the circle, and shape into a disc, flattening on top and smoothing sides. Place in the oven, and immediately reduce heat to 300 degrees (or 275). Bake 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off heat and allow meringue to cool completely in the oven.
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.
To serve, carefully peel off parchment and place meringue on a platter or cake stand. Gently crack the top with the back of a 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 the meringue. Cover cream with strawberries, allowing a small about of their liquid to dribble onto cream. Serve immediately. Serves 6.
Note: I did buy superfine sugar for this, but understand regular will work as well. Following other comments, I reduced the amount of sugar in the meringue to one scant cup, and thought it was fine. I made the meringue a day ahead and left it in the cold oven overnight. I have read that you should avoid making this on a humid day, as it could get weepy.
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