ah, sweet pavlova! // raspberry almond pavlova

hello, hello!

today, i'm going to show you how to make the yummiest pavlova i've ever tasted!

it's also super easy to make, and while it's baking you can eat dinner and finish after.

let's start!

preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

with a balloon whisk, beat 6 egg whites until stiff peaks start to form.

slowly add in 1 2/3 cups of sugar, a little at a time.

i like to add two tablespoons at a time. doing so helps

make the meringue become nice and shiny!

toast your almond meal over medium heat until fragrant.

i ground 1 1/3 cups of raw, unpeeled almonds in my

magic bullet until they resembled breadcrumbs.

sift the meal into the saucepan to remove any stray chunks.

into your meringue, add in shaved/finely chopped semisweet

chocolate. fold it in with a spatula very, very gently.

reserve extra chocolate for topping later.

fold in your toasted almond meal in the same manner!

at this point you can also add in 1 tsp of vanilla and/or

almond extract. i personally didn't use it and it was still fine.

spread your lovely, puffy meringue onto a lined baking sheet.

i used a silicon liner, but parchment also does the trick.

if you want to be fancy, you can use your spatula to create little

peaks, or you can just smooth it into a disk shape.

it won't spread while baking, so you spread it 1 in. from the edge.

pop the pavlova into the oven and set the timer for 45 minutes. 

meanwhile, you can enjoy your dinner or watch netflix (also a great option).

15 minutes into the cooking time, lower the heat

to 300 degrees fahrenheit.

when time's up, gently transfer the baked pavlova to a

cooling rack. it's okay if it cracks! it's artistic character! 

 while it's cooling, prepare the whipped cream.
start by adding 2 cups of heavy whipping cream to your mixer.
a good tip is to chill your bowl while your pavlova is baking
because it helps the cream keep its shape while whipping.

when soft peaks form, slowly add in 1/8 cup of sugar.

add more or less, depending your taste. less is more, because

you also have the tart-sweetness of the raspberries and the

warm-sweetness of the almonds and chocolate.

stop when stiff peaks form and the cream sticks to the mixer

blades. be careful to not overwhip - then you'll get butter

(which isn't necessarily bad...you just can't use it for the topping!).

let it sit in the fridge for 15-20 minutes if you're not serving the pavlova immediately.

once your pavlova is cooled, spread the whipped cream on

top, leaving a one-inch margin between cream and edge.

on top, sprinkle the rest of your reserved chocolate.

carefully arrange your raspberries on top!

you can get creative and also add other fruit, but keep in mind

that heavier fruit will crush your pavlova - it's very delicate!

i also took the liberty of adding some chocolate hearts i created by melting chocolate in a double boiler and squeezed out on wax paper. just let the chocolate set in the freezer while you're decorating your pavlova with the whipped cream and strawberries.

and now you're done! sit back and watch your guests marvel over your culinary genius while you cackle in the back over how easy this was. or, if you're alone, it's totally cool to eat this by yourself while watching a good movie. treat yourself.

enjoy!

jen

FULL RECIPE:

for the meringue
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 2/3 cups white sugar
1 1/3 cup raw, whole almonds, ground
OR
1 cup almond meal
finely grated/chopped bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
a few drops of almond extract (optional)

for the whipped cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/8 cups of white sugar (can be adjusted to taste)

extras
reserved finely grated/chopped chocolate (about 2 tablespoons)
two cups of raspberries to garnish