Fresh Berry Pavlova from Gretchen
Gretchen Eiselt has been cooking professionally for 39 years and loves to incorporate her travels and experiences into her style of fresh seasonal cooking.
Preheat oven to 180* F. Place a piece of parchment on a sheet pan. Trace a 9” circle on the parchment paper using a cake pan or dinner plate. Turn the paper over so the pencil mark is on the pan side. Place the room temperature egg whites and salt in an electric mixer and whisk on high speed for about 1 minute or until firm peaks. Slowly add the sugar to the egg whites while the mixer is on medium. Once all the sugar is added beat on high until firm shiny peaks form. This should take about 2 minutes. Enjoy! It is scrumptious.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and sift cornstarch over egg whites. Add the vinegar and vanilla and lightly fold the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla into the egg whites. Pour the fluffy egg into the center of the circle on the parchment paper. Spread egg whites in a circular motion with a metal spatula to fill the circle creating a fluffy disk.
Bake for 1 ½ hours. Turn off the oven, keep the oven door closed and allow the meringue to cool completely in the oven. This will take 1 to 1 ½ hours. It should be crisp on the outside but soft on the inside. Once the meringue is cooled, invert it onto a platter. Peel the parchment paper off and spread the top of the meringue with sweetened whipped cream.
The whipped cream should cover the disk from edge to edge. Smooth the top with a metal spatula. Combine the strawberries, raspberries and blueberries in a bowl and toss with ½ cup of the raspberry sauce. Carefully spoon the berry mixture on top of the whipped cream leaving a 1” border on the perimeter. Serve immediately with raspberry sauce on the side. It is best served once assembled so you can prep it ahead of time and assemble close to the time of serving. Leftovers may be refrigerated and enjoyed for the next few days.
Sweetened whipped cream: Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer or by hand. Once cream starts to thicken, add the sugar and vanilla and beat until firm.
Raspberry sauce: Place raspberries, sugar and 2 Tbsp. water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Place the cooked raspberries, jam and framboise into a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Chill until ready to use. You may adjust consistency with water to your liking.