This pavlova is like eating a sweet, delicate cloud, and the striking tang of kiwi makes this a memorable and beautiful grace note to any meal.
Kiwifruit is native to China and the first recorded description dates to the 12th Century during the Song Dynasty. Rarely cultivated or bred, the fruit was usually collected from the wild and given to children as medicine to help them grow and to women to help them recover from childbirth.
Kiwifruit are mostly enjoyed raw and yes, the skin is edible…for this recipe, you’ll want the skin off, which is is easy to remove by slicing off a little of each end and running a spoon around the inside of the skin. Presto!
Ingredients
- 6 egg whites, at room temperature
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp powdered
- sugar
- 8 kiwifruit, peeled and thinly sliced
Directions
Preheat oven to 225°.
Slowly beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt. Gradually add the sugar, slowly increasing the speed to high, until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy. Fold in lemon juice and vanilla extract.
On parchment-lined baking sheets, using a large serving spoon, place scoops of the meringue, creating a large indent with the back of the spoon on each pavlova. Alternatively, you can pipe rings of meringue for a more formal look.
Bake for 1 hour, turn the oven off and then let pavlovas sit in oven for another 30 minutes with the oven door closed. The outside should be crisp, and the palest of cream-colored and the inside should be fluffy and marshmallow-like.
Whip the cream with the powdered sugar until soft peaks form. Dollop the cream in the wells of the pavlova and place the kiwi slices on top. Serve immediately.