Chocolate Pavlova with Raspberry

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen Blogs

Spring is here or in other areas, summer is here. Berries are starting to pop up in the produce aisles with prices that makes you want to cry, in a good way. While on a recent trip to Costco, they were selling double pints of raspberries for $3.99. I immediately grabbed two just because it was cheap and I can always think of something to bake and pair them with. Browsing through my stack of cookbooks, a raspberry triffle recipe came into mind but I eventually settled for something I have not made in years, the "Pav!" Pav is short for Pavlova which is a meringue-based dessert from down under created in honor of the Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova. The base is made of pouffy meringue which resembles a tutu and topped with whipped cream and in this instance, fresh raspberries.

An interesting thing to note is that balsamic vinegar is added to the meringue. The reason for this is to create a crusty outer layer while keeping the meringue soft and chewy on the inside. You also don't have to worry about the vinegary taste as the sugar balances out the flavor quite nicely.  A major change I wanted to make is the use of clotted cream instead of the traditional Chantilly cream to top the cake. I came across an English clotted cream while staying at a friend's ex-boyfriend's parents while she was helping me move from Atlanta to Knoxville. Unfortunately, the relationship did not last but my memory of the clotted cream has remained as fresh as ever. Sadly, it is hard to find clotted cream in the local grocery so I turned to my ever trusted website, joyofbaking.com. I revised the recipe a bit and used their quick version of clotted cream minus the lemon zest. The raspberries I think will provide enough zest to the dessert.

The recipe on the whole is from Nigella Lawson's Forever Summer cookbook. Seriously, what would I do without her.

*Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova - Adapted

Meringue:

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen Blogs

6 egg whites

1 cup granulated sugar

3 tbsp cocoa powder,    sifted

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely    chopped

1. Beat the egg whites  
    to soft peaks and  
    gradually add the  
    sugar until stiff peaks  
    are formed.

2. Sift over the cocoa and add the vinegar and chopped chocolate. Fold 
    gently until the cocoa is thoroughly mixed in. 

3. Mound onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a  
    preheated oven at 350°F. The moment you place the meringue in the
    oven, lower the oven temperature immediately to 300°F.

4. Bake for an hour to an hour and a half. The outside should be crisp  
    while the middle is still a bit gooey. 

5. Leave meringe in the warm oven with the door ajar until it is  
    completely cooled. 

**Topping: - Adapted

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup mascarpone

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the cream with the sugar until soft peaks are formed. Whisk in the mascarpone and the vanilla until well mixed. 

Pile the whipped cream topping on top of the meringue and dot with raspberries and shavings of bittersweet chocolate. 

* Lawson, Nigella. Forever Summer. Hyperion. New York: 2001

** JoyofBaking.com