Date Night Dinners - Passover Pavlova

4/17/2015 tringel 0 Comments

This week's date night was a family affair. With our Passover seder happening a week late and the chaos of a fun-filled weekend trip immediately followed by dessert prep in the two hours I had between coming home and beginning the service, there was a lot going through my head. But the most prominent thought was, "Gotta get this done...and make sure it is better then last year."


Last year my Passover dessert was a huge success. If you don't remember, I attempted a Hazelnut Macaroon Torte, and it turned out fabulously. But for me, the highlight of the night wasn't how it tasted, rather the boost of confidence I felt when my family stated I was redeemed from my epic mistake the year prior. I thought making a kosher-for-passover wasabi cheesecake was a good idea -- don't ask. But, as quick as my confidence came it was gone just as fast, replaced by nerves and fear that I would now have to live up to this new standard of dessert.



Fast forward 11 months. Passover was almost here. I was creating Passover flyers at work, listening to people make plans, finding a date that worked for our family seder, pretty much everything but looking for an amazing dessert to make. I went to pinterest to peruse, but nothing really caught my eye, everything was too boring, too complicated, or too expensive. But then it dawned on me, why not go to the source of the dessert redemption. I found last year's recipe on Smitten Kitchen, surely she would have others. And without fail she did, she even has a whole section dedicated to Passover. I was ecstatic, I just had to choose which I would attempt.

After much debate, I went with Pavlova, for a few reasons:

• it seemed like it would be sweet but not too over-powering or decadent (I had my famous chocolate matzo for that);
• it followed similar steps and techniques as last year's dessert but was different enough to be impressive at the same time; 
• it looked to have simple prep with short enough cook times that, with some help, I could efficiently make it between travel destinations; 
• it looked amazing; and most importantly,
• it was going to be delicious!

With only a couple days to spare, it was decided (good thing we were having our seder a week late), and I informed Brenden and Lauren, who always help me with this task, what we would be making.



Passover Pavlova
Recipe adapted from smittenkitchen.com, Mixed Berry Pavlova

Ingredients

• Meringue
• 4 large egg whites
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp corn starch
• Raspberry Sauce
• 1-10 oz bag frozen raspberries, thawed
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• Whipped Cream
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Mized Berry Topping
• 1/2 pint fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1/2 pint fresh blueberries
• 1/2 pint fresh raspberries
• 1/2 cup raspberries sauce from above

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees Farenheit and with a rack in the center of oven.
2. On a piece of parchment paper, draw a 7 inch circle with a pencil.
3. Place the parchment paper on a baking sheet, with pencil side facing down.
4. Pour the vanilla and vinegar into a small cup.
5. Stir the cornstarch into the sugar in a small bowl.
6. In the bowl of a mixer, fitted with whisk attachment, whip egg whites and salt for 2-3 minutes. Start on a low speed and increase the speed incrementally to medium speed, mixing until soft peaks start to become visible, and the egg white bubbles are very small and uniform.
7. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly and pour in the sugar-cornstarch mixture.
8. After a few minutes, slowly pour in the vanilla and vinegar mixture.
9. Whip until meringue is glossy, 4-5 minutes. Stiff peaks should form when the whisk is lifted.
10. Gently spread the meringue on the prepared parchment paper, inside the circle drawn, smoothing the edges and making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center.
11. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the outside is dry. Check on meringues at least once during the baking time. If they appear to be taking on color or cracking, reduce temperature 25 degrees, and turn pan around.
12. After 1 hour 15 minutes, turn the oven off, open the door to be slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)

While the meringue is baking and cooling, prepare the remaining element:

1. For the raspberry sauce, puree the raspberries in a food processor. Press the puree through a fine-mesh strainer with the back of a spoon, removing the seeds. Heat the puree in a small pot with three tablespoons of sugar, until it is heated through and the sugar is dissolved. Cool the sauce and set aside until it is ready to be used.
2. For the whipped cream, whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. When it starts to thicken, add the sugar gradually and then the vanilla, beating the cream until firm, a few minutes on a high speed.
3. For the Berry topping, mix the prepared fruit with the raspberry sauce you previously prepared.
4. To assemble the dish, place the cooled meringue on a plate. Spread the whipped cream on top. In the center of the pavlova, spoon the berry and sauce mixture on top of the whipped cream layer.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy.