Watch

Passion Fruit Pavlova

Pavlova, an airy confection named in honor of Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova, consists of a meringue base crowned with fruit and capped with whipped cream. Traditionally, the meringue base has a soft, nearly marshmallow-like center, but for this recipe, brought to us by renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten, it is crisp and light.

Source: Martha Stewart Living Television, February 2001

Servings

Ingredients

4 large egg whites
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
Passion Fruit Sorbet
3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
2 passion fruits, halved

Directions

1. Preheat a convection oven to 200 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip egg whites until frothy. Slowly add granulated sugar. Whip until very stiff peaks form. Remove bowl from mixer and fold in confectioners' sugar with a rubber spatula.
2. Fill two 6-dome flexible baking sheets with meringue, using the back of a spoon to form a hollow shell, about 3/8 inch thick. Bake for 2 hours or until dry. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Gently remove meringues from molds. To allow for some breakage, you will have extra meringues.
3. Dip one meringue shell in whipped cream. Place on a plate, and fill with a scoop of sorbet. Dip another meringue shell in whipped cream, and place it on top of sorbet. Using a spoon, scoop the seeds from the passion fruit halves, and use to garnish the dessert. Repeat process with remaining meringue shells. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes

This recipe was originally developed for a restaurant kitchen, which typically includes a convection oven. To prepare this at home, bake the meringues overnight, or until dried, on the bottom rack of a gas oven with only the pilot light on.