Strawberry Pavlova

By Nigella Lawson

Updated March 14, 2016

  • Sang An for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
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Total Time
2 hours
Rating
5(3,514)
Comments
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The particular joy of this dreamy dessert, which was named in honor of the Russian ballerina, is that the meringue base can be made in advance. Then to serve it, drizzle the strawberries with a little balsamic vinegar and vanilla (a combination that brings out the fullest essential flavor of the fruit), whip some cream and arrange it all on a plate. It’s magnificent, and deliriously easy.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

FOR THE MERINGUE

  • 4 egg whites

  • Pinch of salt

  • 1 ¼ cups superfine sugar

  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

  • 1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar

  • A few drops vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING

  • 1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered

  • ½ teaspoon high-quality vanilla extract

  • 1 teaspoon high-quality balsamic vinegar

  • 2 teaspoons superfine sugar

  • 2 cups heavy cream

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

51 grams carbs; 90 milligrams cholesterol; 468 calories; 7 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 29 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 2 grams fiber; 77 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 48 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    To prepare 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 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.

  2. Step 2

    Sprinkle in cornstarch, white-wine vinegar and vanilla, and fold in gently. Mound onto parchment within circle, and shape into a disk, flattening top and smoothing sides. Place in oven, and immediately reduce heat to 300 degrees. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off heat, and allow meringue to cool completely in oven.

  3. Step 3

    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.

  4. Step 4

    To serve, carefully peel off parchment and place meringue on a platter or cake stand. Gently crack the top with the back of a soup 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 meringue. Cover cream with strawberries, allowing a small amount of their liquid to dribble onto cream. Serve immediately.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
3,514 user ratings
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Comments

Aunty Bob

Please know pavlova is a New Zealand creation. Australians get in a bit of a tizzy about it. But they are wrong. The eggs MUST be at room temperature. For four egg whites (rather small pav) I recommend reducing cornstarch to a bit less than 1 ½ tsp and vinegar to a scant ¾ tsp. 350 degrees is waaaay too hot~ 250 is good and never ever open the oven door. And don’t even think about sweetening the whipped cream. That’s all I got. Kia ora!

Patricia Sears

I followed the meringue recipe exactly except I heeded one note of advice here by a reader to bake at lower temperature (250). It was a disaster. A flat, beige coloured sticky mess.

So, I remade following Jamie Oliver's recipe for meringue. (6 egg whites, 300 grams of sugar, pinch of salt, bake at 300 for an hour. Ooh wow. BEAUTIFUL. Crackling crust of golden and cream meringue with meltingly fluffy interior.

This was the hit of my son's 30th birthday party.

Jada

A nice option instead of the whipped topping is making any type of fruit curd for the pavlova! It's an easy way to use those leftover egg yolks.
Lemon, passion fruit, rhubarb curd - all yummy and so easy to make.

The fruit curd can also be a lovely addition to the whipped topping instead of the fresh strawberries if you don't have any fresh fruit available!

Steve in Raleigh NC

Made exactly as written and it was perfection. Wildly popular at yesterday's backyard grilling extravaganza.

Jennifer

This was incredible. Followed directions precisely (used a food processor to make superfine sugar out of granulated). Inspired to try some of the variations in the comments now!

Melissa

I just made this as instructed. Stuck to the recipe except I instinctively used 1/2 the sugar- thankfully. But it was ‘cooked’, very brown, after 45 mins. The outside was a light toasty color while inside seemed uncooked. It then immediately deflated. I threw it in the trash. My experience was a disaster. After reading Auntie Bobs suggestions, I may try again with those revisions. I’m disappointed. My eggs were cold from the fridge, my husband opened the oven halfway through and I feel it just wasn’t in the cards this time.

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