Strawberry Pavlova

This is one of my FAVORITE desserts - light, airy and sweet meringue, topped with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. It's colorful, sweet, tart, crisp, chewy, pillowy, awesome, amazing, entertaining-worthy, easy.... I could go on and on.

This dessert is actually named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, so I guess I owe her a HUGE THANK YOU! The perfect Pavlova boasts a meringue with a crisp exterior and soft, light interior. You can pretty much top the baked meringue with anything, but in this dessert - pillowy whipped cream and juicy, fresh strawberries do JUST FINE!

Don't worry about what I said above, "The perfect Pavlova...". You WILL create the perfect meringue. It's actually really easy. My trick is to stay close by the mixer. Sometimes my egg whites get to the "stiff peaks" stage in 1 minute. Sometimes it's closer to 4 minutes. Since I never know, I don't risk it by leaving the mixer alone. I suggest you keep an eye on things too - and don't be surprised if it takes 4 to 5 minutes to form stiff peaks the first time (before the sugar is added) and 5 to 6 minutes once the sugar is incorporated. Play a good song, dance around the kitchen, the time goes fast.

About the egg whites: I like using pasteurized liquid egg whites because 1) I don't have to crack a bunch of eggs - I just pour from the carton and, 2) There's no waste - to get 1/2 cup of egg whites, you'd likely throw away 4 to 5 yolks. Pasteurized egg whites can take longer to whip into stiff peaks, but if you start with room temperature egg whites (and a clean bowl and whisk attachment), you'll be just fine - they whip up perfectly! And who starts with a dirty bowl anyway?

Strawberry Pavlova 

1/2 cup pasteurized liquid egg whites, room temperature
Pinch kosher salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Whipped cream of choice (I used Reddi Whip)
1 cup sliced fresh strawberries

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Trace a 9-inch round cake pan or plate on a large piece of parchment paper. Flip the paper over and transfer it to a large baking sheet.
Combine the egg whites and pinch of salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.
Reduce the speed to medium and gradually add the sugar - VERY slowly.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Beat on high until stiff peaks form and the mixture is smooth and glossy.
Reduce the speed to low and beat in the cornstarch, vanilla and lemon juice (stop the mixer as soon as everything is blended).
Spoon the meringue onto the parchment paper, in the center of the circle you drew. Gently spread the meringue out to fill the circle. Use the back of a spoon to form a slight well in the center.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Turn the oven off and leave the Pavlova in the oven for 3 hours, or until the meringue is crisp and dry on the outside.
Open the oven door and cool completely before removing from the oven, about 30 minutes.
Fill the the center of the Pavlova with whipped cream and fresh strawberries and serve immediately.

Serves 4-6