Blackberry Pavlova - impress someone with this fancy looking (but EASY dessert)

Confession: I LOVE me some Gwyneth Paltrow. I didn't have feelings about her one way or another until I watched her travel Spain with Mario Batali on a PBS series a few years back. I immediately wanted to be her friend and go to Spain. 

Then, her website Goop showed up a bit later. I was hooked. My interest was now a full  blown crush. Because of her posts on her site ranging from fashion to relationships to religion--and most importantly COOKING--I'm convinced she's "just like us"--a working momma and wife just trying to keep it all under control. Granted, her kid's play dates are probably with Stella McCartney's kids and going to visit dad at the office means a huge concert stadium...but I dig it. 

And when I thought I could love her no more, she went and put out a cookbook. 

And I dig almost every page. Though she was known for her somewhat wack-a-doo eating habits in the past, she's pretty real these days. She balances healthy choices (lots of grains, veggies, fish) with personal choices (she won't eat things with hooves, so no steak or pork here). And then some, like, amazingly real food. Pancakes, cookies, and muffins, fried fish tacos, pastas full of cheese. Each page has easy instructions (all the recipes are perfectly do-able) and tips on making the recipe kid oriented. In one, she makes her son a "crabby patty" fried fish sandwich but caters it more toward adults by adding spicy mayo to the sandwich and a glass of wine on the side. Inspired by her dad who liked to cook, this book is very family oriented filled with short personal anecdotes about each recipe. 

While none of the recipes are hard, some of them are made harder by the ingredients. Let's just say I've subbed white flour for spelt flour called for in her recipes more than once. Duck isn't easily available here, though I found one frozen, roasted and shredded it into her delicious ragu recipe for my birthday dinner. I felt fancy. 

I've avoided this dessert recipe for a while. Felt TOO fancy. Looked hard. Oh, my friends----the opposite. This recipe for blueberry palova is ALL of the easy. You basically whip egg whites, whip cream, and mix some sugar with some fruit. The lesson--don't let a pretty picture scare you. 

So you want to know how to make this gorgeous, fluffy  meringue dessert? It's easy enough for a summer patio party but looks fancy enough for any formal dinner. Let's do it! 

Combine berries of your choice with a little sugar and set aside. I had blackberries from the farmers market that I used....DELISH. 


Set the oven to bake and 350 degrees. 


First, you make meringues. Almost exactly like meringue on a pie, but instead of being frothy/spongy you're going to bake these into a soft, yet crispy cookie. 


Combine egg whites, salt and white vinegar together in a bowl. With a hand mixer or a big electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. 


If it looks like this.....you aren't done. 

If it looks like this....DONE! See how the egg whites got fluffy? You'll know you're done when you lift up the beaters and those little peaks form. 

Combine sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add to the egg mixture a little bit at a time, beating it in to completely combine each time. Add vanilla and beat until soft peaks form again. It will get stiff and glossy white. If it reminds you of whipped cream, you're done. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon meringue in eight big spoonfuls on to the baking sheet, with the back of the spoon, spread the meringue into a circle. Make a shallow indention in each. Have a beautiful assistant read a magazine in the background, if desired. 

Bake the meringues for 10 minutes at 350 then lower the heat to 200 and bake for an hour. Remove baking tray from the oven and let cool completely. They'll be crisp and a lovely light brown. You could make these earlier in the day to save time. Even the day before. Just keep in an airtight container. 

Now, whip some cream! Two things I no longer buy--pre-made: whipped cream and salad dressing. For no other reason than I prefer the taste of making my own. Few things taste as decadent to me as fresh whipped cream.  You literally put whipping cream in a bowl, sweeten with a bit of sugar and beat it until it looks like the stuff that comes in the plastic tub. Some people say it's "ready" when you can flip the bowl upside down without it falling. If you feel like trying, make sure your beautiful assistant is some distance away. 

See? PURDY! Just try it once for me, ok? 

Your cookies are done. Your fruit and whipped cream are done. Now--assemble. 

Cookie.

Freshly whipped cream. 

Sugared berries. 

You will be so pleased with yourself for making this fancy looking treat. You'll be even more pleased once you take a bite. I think I'll make this again this weekend---I just can't say no to blackberries or GP. 

Berry Pavlova
based on Gwyneth Paltrow’s blueberry pavolova in My Father’s Daughter

Serves 8 (I halved with no trouble) 

Ingredients

4 organic large egg whites
Pinch fine salt
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons
Granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
11/2 cups fresh blueberries, plus more for serving

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine egg whites, salt, and white vinegar together in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. 


Combine the 3/4 cup sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl and add to the egg whites in thirds, whisking each addition in completely. Add the vanilla and beat until stiff peaks form. 


Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon the meringue in 8 big spoonfuls, using a spoon to spread them in a circle, and then make an indent in each. 


Bake for 10 minutes, lower the heat to 200°F, and bake for another hour. Turn off the heat and cool the meringues in the oven for an hour, propping the door open with a wooden spoon. 

Berry toppings:

Toss berries with 1 tablespoon of sugar and stir to combine. Smash slightly if desired to let a bit of juices out from the fruit. Set aside (I like mine chilled).

Whipped topping:

Whip together cream and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.

To complete:

Evenly distribute whipped cream onto each meringue filling the indention and top with macerated berries and their juice.

Here is the same recipe over at Saveur if you'd like to print and try: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Blueberry-Pavlova