BKRY Recipe: Our Summer Pavlova

BKRY Recipe: A Summer Pavlova

If there's one dessert that was made for summer, it's a pavlova. Crisp and cloud-like on the outside, soft and marshmallowy within, piled with cream and whatever fruit the season has to offer. It looks spectacular on a table, it feeds a crowd generously, and it has a way of making even a casual garden gathering feel like a proper occasion.

It's also, despite its impressive appearance, far more straightforward to make than most people expect.

A few notes before you start

Eggs at room temperature. Cold egg whites don't whip as well or as quickly as ones that have had time to come up to room temperature. Take them out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before you start.

A clean, grease-free bowl. Any trace of fat in your mixing bowl will prevent the egg whites from whipping properly. Wipe the bowl and whisk with a little lemon juice or white wine vinegar on a piece of kitchen paper before you begin.

Don't rush the oven. Pavlova is baked low and slow, and it finishes drying out as it cools in the oven with the door ajar. Resist the temptation to turn the heat up or check on it too frequently during baking. Patience is genuinely rewarded here.

Make it the day before if you can. The meringue base keeps well overnight at room temperature and actually benefits from the rest. Add the cream and fruit on the day you're serving it.

Cracks are normal. A pavlova that cracks slightly as it cools is not a failed pavlova. It's a pavlova. Once the cream and fruit are on top, nobody will know and nobody will care.

Ingredients

Serves 8 to 10

For the meringue:

• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 300g caster sugar
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For the topping:

• 500ml double cream
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 300g strawberries, hulled and halved
• 200g raspberries
• 150g blueberries
• A small handful of fresh mint leaves
• Zest of one lemon

Method

Step 1. Preheat your oven to 130°C fan (150°C conventional). Line a large baking tray with baking paper and draw a 25cm circle on it as a guide, then flip the paper over so the pencil mark is on the underside.

Step 2. Whisk the egg whites in a large, clean bowl until they form stiff peaks. This will take around 3 to 4 minutes with an electric hand whisk or stand mixer on high speed.

Step 3. Add the caster sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking well between each addition. Take your time with this. The mixture should become thick, glossy and hold stiff peaks. When you rub a little between your fingers it should feel completely smooth with no graininess from the sugar. If it still feels grainy, keep whisking.

Step 4. Sprinkle the cornflour and white wine vinegar over the meringue and add the vanilla extract. Fold in gently with a large metal spoon until just combined.

Step 5. Spoon the meringue onto your prepared baking tray, using the circle as a guide. Build the edges up slightly higher than the centre to create a natural well for the cream and fruit to sit in. Don't worry about making it look perfect. A pavlova with slightly rough, billowing edges looks far more beautiful than a perfectly smooth one.

Step 6. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside with the door slightly ajar until completely cool. This will take at least 2 hours, and leaving it overnight is absolutely fine.

Step 7. When you're ready to serve, whip the double cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until it holds soft peaks. Spoon generously over the cooled meringue base.

Step 8. Arrange the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries over the cream. Scatter over the lemon zest and mint leaves. Serve immediately, or within an hour or two of assembling.

A few variations worth trying

Stone fruit. Swap the berries for sliced peaches, nectarines and cherries for a more jewel-coloured topping. A drizzle of honey over the fruit just before serving works beautifully here.

Passion fruit and mango. Spoon the pulp of four passion fruits over the cream before adding sliced mango. The sharp, tropical flavour cuts through the sweetness of the meringue perfectly and makes for a really striking presentation.

Elderflower and gooseberry. Stir a tablespoon of elderflower cordial through the whipped cream and top with lightly poached gooseberries. Something a little more unexpected and very much of the season.

Chocolate meringue. Replace 30g of the caster sugar with 30g of good quality cocoa powder, sifting it in with the cornflour. The result is a deeper, more complex meringue that pairs particularly well with raspberries and a little dark chocolate grated over the top.

A note on leftovers

A pavlova is always best on the day it's assembled, but if you find yourself with leftovers the next morning, don't be too hasty to throw them out. A slightly collapsed pavlova with softened meringue and fruit that's had time to bleed into the cream is, in its own way, just as good as the pristine version the day before. Some people would say better. We couldn't possibly comment.