Pavlova with strawberries and basil

There is something about classic desserts that makes them irreplaceable and heart warming. Pavlova really is one of the best summery and light desserts of all time. My version of it is baked in a tin (cause you know I am a pastry chef I like things as neat as possible!), topped with strawberry jam, basil infused chantilly cream and finished with fresh strawberries. It really is summer on a plate and the basil gives it so much character and flavour. A lot of people find any sort of meringue intimidating so I will be going into detail on how to get a crispy outer and a soft centre every time! Once you make your own you will never buy the hard and dry readymade pavlovas again.

Ingredients for pavlova with strawberries and basil

• Egg whites: We will be using egg whites from 3 medium eggs, which are the base and volume of the pavlova. By any means do not use the egg whites straight from the fridge. You will get better aeration and volume from room temperature egg whites.
• Caster sugar: Not only sugar will give us sweetness but it will also stabilise the egg whites by holding them together both in the oven and as the pavlova cools. This is definitely not the recipe to try and reduce the sugar as any less and the pavlova will collapse. It also gives the very famous crispy edges of the pavlova.
• Icing sugar: We will use icing sugar for the second part of the pavlova. We will sieve it and very gently fold it in with a spatula. This will ensure that we are not losing too much air from our pavlova.
• White wine vinegar: It is very important to use some sort of acid in your pavlova. I promise that the end result will not taste like vinegar. Same as the sugar, the acid prevents the egg whites from collapsing. You can also use the same amount of cream of tartar.
• Cornstarch: Cornstarch really helps the inside of the pavlova with its fluffy and marshmallow-y texture.
• Fresh basil: We will infuse the double cream for the chantilly with fresh basil leaves. It will really add flavour and attitude to our pavlova. If you are not a big fan of basil, you can use any herbs of your choice like thyme, lemon verbena or simply some vanilla extract.
• Double cream: We will use double cream to make the basil infused chantilly. Do not try to use single cream for this as it will never whip!
• Strawberry jam: I like using some strawberry jam between the pavlova and the chantilly layer. It gives some extra strawberry flavour and colour. Good old store bought jam is great but if you have some homemade one is even better!

For the basil infused chantilly

• 250g double cream
• 20g caster sugar
• 15g basil leaves

For the pavlova (makes an 8 inch tin/ serves 6)

• Egg whites from 3 medium eggs (approximately 110g)
• 100g caster sugar (1)
• 5g white wine vinegar (or same amount of cream of tartar)
• 50g caster sugar (2)
• 50g icing sugar
• 20g cornstarch
• 20g strawberry jam
• 10g marmalade with a splash of water (for glazing)
• 12-15 halved strawberries depending on the size

How to make the basil chantilly

1. Start by infusing the basil in the cream.
2. In a small pot place the double cream and sugar.
3. Bring it to a gentle simmer and take of the heat.*
4. Add the basil leaves, bring to room temperature and then place in the fridge to infuse for up to 12 hours.*

How to make the pavlova

1. Preheat the oven at 100C. Line an 8 inch cake tin* with some non stick spray and place a piece of parchment paper on top.
2. In a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add the sugar(1) in two additions, beating for 30 seconds between, then continue beating on high speed until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2-3 more minutes.*
4. When the pavlova is stiff and holds its shape, sieve together icing sugar and cornflour and add it to sugar (2).
5. Using a rubber spatula, add the white wine vinegar (or cream of tartar) to the pavlova and mix gently until combined.
6. Next add your caster sugar (2), icing sugar and cornstarch mix in two additions folding very gently with a rubber spatula.
7. Spread the pavlova mixture into the lined 8 inch cake tin*, using a cranked palette knife trying to make it as flat as possible.
8. Place the pavlova in the oven. Bake at 100C for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside for a further 45 minutes or until the outside is crisp but the inside still soft and gooey. Try to limit how many times you open the oven as the cool air will interrupt the baking.
9. Let the pavlova cool inside the oven. Once it is cool, you can store it covered tightly at room temperature for up to two days or serve right away.

Assemble the pavlova

1. Discard the basil leaves from the cream and place the now infused cream in a handheld or standing mixer with a whisk attachment.
2. Whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and the cream can hold its shape when you lift the whisk.
3. To assemble the pavlova, spread the strawberry jam on the pavlova using a palette knife.
4. Next place the chantilly into a piping bag and pipe on a the pavlova in a circular movement starting from the inside going to the outside. If you don’t have a piping bag simply spread the cream on with the palette knife.
5. Last decorate the pavlova with halved strawberries and brush gently with some warm marmalade to prevent the fruits from drying out.
6. Finish with a few basil leaves.
7. Enjoy  🙂
   Notes

• When infusing herbs you should never boil them over high heat. Simply boil the cream, take it off the heat and then drop the leaves inside. When herbs are overheated for a long time they tend to bring out bitterness.
• If you don’t have 12 hours to wait around for your cream to infuse just infuse the cream for as long as you can, the more you leave it the more flavour you will get.
• You don’t have to use a cake tin if you don’t want to. You can simply draw a 8 inch circle on a tray lined with parchment paper and spread the pavlova mix on top trying to ‘stay in line’ as much as possible.
• You can test the stiffness of your pavlova by holding the whisk upside down and the peaks won’t move. It is the probably the oldest pastry trick in the history of patisserie.

Meringue kisses,
Athina xx