Recipes
Pineberry Pavlova|Weston Table

Sweet Things

Pineberry Pavlova
Egg whites and sugar are in nearly every pantry. When whisked together they turn what seem to be ordinary staples into magical clouds of crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside, delightfully sweet treats. Pile on dollops of freshly made whipped cream and seasonally ripe fruit just before serving and you have yourself an impressive and elegant dinner party dessert that may be made in under twenty minutes. Pineberries are relative newcomers to local supermarkets — a pretty in pink spring berry that looks like a strawberry but has a subtle pineapple taste. Piling them on top of a pavlova generates buzz at the table. Chances are most guests have never tried one and are curious to grab a spoon and dig in!
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cuisine Australian
difficulty Easy
season Spring
serves 8

Ingredients

  • 225 ml egg whites (about 6 eggs)
  • 1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Confectioners' sugar
  • 2 pints pineberries (or other fruit)

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
  2. Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. 
  3. Gradually add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time.
  4. Once all the sugar has been added, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and whisk until the mixture is stiff and glossy, about 5 to 6 minutes. 
  5. Add the vinegar and whisk for another 4 minutes. 
  6. Put the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
  7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Pipe the meringue in 3.5" D rounds onto the paper, connecting each one to form a wreath (the center will remain empty).
  8. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F. and bake for 1 hour or until dry and crisp to the touch. 
  9. Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool completely in the oven.
  10. Place the cream in a bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Add the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla and whisk to combine.
  11. Place the pavlova on a serving plate and top with the cream and pineberries. Serve immediately.

Kitchen Notes

For the best results, use a kitchen scale to weigh ingredients. When baking, accuracy insures the most consistent results. If pineberries are unavailable, any fruit may be substituted. Superfine, also known as caster sugar, has smaller crystals than granulated sugar which makes it dissolve faster and better. If you don't have castor sugar, simply whirr granulated sugar in the food processor or Vitamix for a minute until it is broken down as much as possible.
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