Pavlova with Strawberries

Recipe by Christie Stewart, Introduction by Richard Stewart

Strawberries are the quintessential fruit of Spring.  In the Ohio Valley, nothing screams the transition from Spring to Summer like strawberries.  Good strawberries, small to medium in size, have some of the best flavors you can find and are perfect for this dish.  

Pavlova, a dessert consisting of a meringue shell topped with whipped cream and fruit and is a great vehicle to let the flavor of the strawberry shine. The recipe requires a bit of skill in the creation of the meringue and it is a little more time intensive than some of our other recipes, but the end results are well worth it.

INGREDIENTS

4 large egg whites, room temperature
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
1 tsp. white vinegar (we used MHV Rose’)
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. strawberries, quartered
¼ cup Carriage House Farm Strawberry Sauce or Jam
1 cup heavy cream

(Items available online are linked and item,s available at our brick and mortar farm store are Italicized)

 
DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Draw 9-inch circle on piece of parchment paper.  Place paper ink-side down on baking sheet.

Place egg whites in bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment.  Whisk at high speed 1 minute, until frothy.  Slowly add 1 cup sugar and continue whisking until meringue reaches glossy, stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.  Using rubber spatula, fold in vinegar, cornstarch and vanilla.

Mound meringue in center of parchment circle and use spatula to evenly spread out toward edges, forming a large disk.  The top doesn’t need to be smooth; waves and swirls are okay.  Bake 90 minutes, then turn oven off and allow meringue to cool completely in oven, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, combine strawberries and jam in bowl.  Whip heavy cream with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until firm peaks form.  Gently transfer cooled meringue to serving plate, top with whipped cream, then strawberries.  Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container.