Summer is here, it’s the perfect time to make a pavlova. It’s a super indulgent dessert, but one I’ve always found very light and very fresh.
Here, I made a strawberry, raspberry and basil pavlova, flavours that go together wonderfully. Let’s make the most of the strawberries while there are still some left!
As it happens, with Tiphaine from Titi la toquée, we created a challenge on Instagram that combines both pastry and food photography, two passions we have in common. So we created a small team of enthusiasts (there are 15 of us in all) and every month, we set ourselves a challenge. Here, the theme was Mother’s Day (with a post at the end of May) with 2 constraints: using red berries for the pastry side and using flowers for the food photography side.
I immediately wanted to make a large pavlova. No piping, no nozzle or piping bag needed, so no excuse not to make this strawberry, raspberry and basil pavlova. I simply emptied the contents of my bowl onto a sheet of baking paper and shaped the meringue with a large spoon. Easy, isn’t it?
However, I hadn’t made a big pavlova in a very long time and I ran into a problem with the baking. I usually bake at a low temperature (80°C) to make sure the meringue stays nice and white. It baked for about 2 and a half hours, but when we tasted it, the verdict was unequivocal… it wasn’t baked enough arghhh! So you can raise the temperature to 90°C and bake for close to 3 hours.
If you like red berries (and pretty photos), I recommend you take a look at my Instagram post, where you’ll find the other entries from the Cookandshoot challenge team 🙂
Ingredients & Method
3 components · Full recipe
Meringue
Ingredients
- 150 g (5.3 oz) egg whites
- 150 g (5.3 oz) caster sugar
- 7 g (0.2 oz) cornflour
- 150 g (5.3 oz) icing sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 90°C / 194°F (100°C / 210°F maximum).
2
Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Ideally, the whites should be at room temperature.
3
Add a pinch of salt if you wish.
4
Begin whisking the egg whites with an electric mixer or stand mixer on low speed to incorporate as much air as possible. The whites will start to foam.
5
Gradually add the caster sugar once the whites start to hold their shape.
6
Continue whisking to stiffen the meringue. When you lift the whisk, a bird’s beak shape should form on the tip.
7
Gently fold in the sifted icing sugar and cornflour using a spatula. Place a sheet of baking paper on a baking tray and pile the meringue on top, forming a large mound. Using a large spoon, shape it into a round nest and hollow out a deep well in the centre. Build up the sides by sweeping the meringue upwards.
Basil chantilly
Ingredients
- 200 g (7.1 oz) whole whipping cream
- 40 g (1.4 oz) mascarpone
- 2 tbsp icing sugar
- about 15 large basil leaves
Method
1
As noted at the start of the recipe, you will have made a cold basil infusion in advance to prepare this chantilly. Place the basil leaves in the cold cream, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (overnight is ideal).
2
Remove the basil leaves, squeezing them as much as possible to extract all the cream.
3
Place the basil-infused cream and mascarpone in the bowl of a stand mixer and begin whisking on low speed until the mascarpone is fully incorporated into the cream, then increase the speed. Once the cream starts to stiffen, add the icing sugar.
4
Check the consistency regularly by stopping the mixer. The chantilly is ready once it holds its shape completely. Be careful not to overwhip — you want a light, airy chantilly, not a greasy one. Refrigerate until ready to assemble.
Assembling the strawberry, raspberry and basil pavlova
Ingredients
- strawberries
- raspberries
- a few small basil leaves
- icing sugar
- edible flowers (optional)
Method
1
Quickly rinse and hull the strawberries. Pat dry with kitchen paper. Slice them in half lengthwise. Quickly rinse the raspberries as well.
2
Spoon the chantilly into the hollow of the pavlova and arrange the fruit decoratively on top.
3
Place a few small basil leaves and some edible flowers if you have them. Dust with a little icing sugar. Refrigerate until ready to serve. If making the pavlova in advance (leaving it in the fridge for several hours), I recommend lining the inside of the meringue with a thin coat of melted white chocolate to waterproof it.
Gallery
