Between making pasta and making tiramisu, I had seven excessed egg whites that needed to be used up. I figured that some sort of pavlova or angel food cake would be the best choice. (I debated doing a dacquoise, but I opted for the simplicity of the pavlova in the end.) I've done pavlovas before, but I wanted to try a different flavour combo. So I hit up the Internet to look for ideas.

There were a few interesting contenders, but I liked the look of this cherry one. It seemed relatively light and very easy to put together. I liked the idea of topping the meringue with yogurt rather than pastry cream or custard. And I was intrigued by the passionfruit-cherry combination.

The original recipe called for "good quality passionfruit yogurt". I couldn't get any that I felt would be "good quality", so I opted for a very nice plain yogurt instead and then just added some fresh passionfruit on top. I only got one passionfruit this time as I wasn't sure what to expect from it. TM didn't feel that the passionfruit really brought much to the table and thought that it would've been just as good without it. I do think that it was pretty subtle, but I enjoyed its presence. I think if I were to do this one again I'd just double down on it: get two or three passionfruit next time!

Spiced Cherry Pavlova

Slightly adapted from Taste

Ingredients

Meringue

• 6 large egg whites
• 330g sugar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar¹ (optional)

Cherries

• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. cointreau
• 1 Tbsp. lemon zest
• 1 (8cm) cinnamon stick
• 400g pitted cherries
• 1/4 c. lemon juice

Assembly

• 2 c. very good plain Greek yogurt
• 2-3 passionfruit

Directions

Meringue

1. Preheat oven to 120°C (250°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat.
2. Add egg whites to a scrupulously clean bowl and begin beating with clean beaters.
3. After 30-60 seconds of beating on high, add ~1 Tbsp. of the sugar.
4. Continue beating on high and adding sugar ~1 Tbsp. at a time until all of the sugar has been incorporated.
5. Beat in the cornflour.
6. Beat in the vanilla.
7. Beat in the cream of tartar (if using).
8. Beat for another minute or so. The meringue is done when it forms stiff peaks and stays in place when the bowl is inverted. If it holds its shape but slides along the bowl, it's not quite done yet. Be careful not to overbeat as it will break and go watery.
9. Spoon the meringue onto the prepared baking sheet and shape it into a circle with a deep depression in the middle. Aim for around 20-23cm in diameter. Make the depression a bit deeper than you think it needs to be.
10. Bake on the bottom rack at 120°C (250°F) for 90 minutes.
11. Turn off oven, but keep the door closed and leave the meringue in the oven overnight.

Cherries

1. Heat sugar, cointreau, lemon zest, and cinnamon over medium heat and cook for ~5 minutes.
2. Add the cherries and lemon juice and bring back up to a simmer. Cook for 1 minute more.
3. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to eat.

Assembly

1. Spoon the yogurt into the centre of the meringue.
2. Cut open the passionfruit and scoop the seeds out onto the yogurt.
3. Pour the cherry compote over this.
4. Serve immediately.

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¹ I usually add a bit of cream of tartar to my meringues, but this time I decided to use a bit of vinegar to wipe down the beaters and the bowl. This helps cut any grease residue that might be on them. Afterward, I dumped out the excess vinegar, but did not dry the beaters or the bowl. I figured the bit of acid this added would be similar to the acidifying effect of cream of tartar. ^Back