Rosewater Cream Pavlova + Roasted Strawberry Vanilla Bean Sauce

This Pavlova has become my favorite desserts to make lately for a variety of reasons:

First of all, Pavlova! Chewy, crunchy meringue on the outside that fades into a cloud of pillow soft marshmallow throughout the inside all topped with rose-infused whipped cream, tangy sweet roasted strawberry sauce, and fresh Spring strawberries? You can’t go wrong.

Despite it’s fancy appearance, its relatively easy to throw together and looks much more complicated than it actually is!

Pavlovas are such a perfectly Spring-y dessert and this version really highlights that with it’s vibrant, freshly sliced strawberries, rose-scented cream, and floral toppers.

This Pavlova, or SLAB-lova, as I like to call it, is the perfect dessert for a group. Shaped into a rectangle, the finished product is perfectly primed for easily slicing into squares without making a huge mess.

Roasted strawberry vanilla bean sauce. ROASTED STRAWBERRY VANILLA BEAN SAUCE! This sauce is my absolute favorite as of late. Its easy to make and roasting the strawberries with coconut sugar and vanilla beans bring out the most gorgeous flavor from the berries. Deep, rich, and bright. It’s all pureed with a little honey and run through a sieve for a silky, velvet-like deep red sauce that you’ll want to put on everything. And you can because this recipe makes twice the amount that you would need for the Pavlova!

A few more things…

If you wanted to, you could make this into a round Pavlova, or individual Pavlovas. Just keep in mind that the meringue with puff and expand when you bake it, so allow for 1 to 1 1/2 inches of expansion room when shaping them to be baked.

Don’t have or want to use strawberries? This would work wonderfully with any other berry – blackberries, raspberries, blueberries…they would all make a great roasted berry sauce and topper!

Pavlova does not sit well in the fridge, so assemble this as close to service time as you can – within an hour or two, that crunchy exterior will become soggy if refrigerated.

Rosewater Cream Pavlova + Roasted Strawberry Vanilla Bean Sauce

 

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Serves: Serves 8

Ingredients

• FOR THE MERINGUE BASE:
• 6 Egg Whites, room temperature
• ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
• ¼ teaspoon Salt
• 1 cup Caster Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon White Vinegar
• ½ teaspoon Vanilla
• FOR THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE:
• 1 Vanilla Bean
• 1 pound Strawberries, leaves removed, cut in half
• ½ cup Coconut Palm Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Honey
• FOR THE CREAM:
• 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• 2 tablespoons Honey
• 1 teaspoon Rosewater
• Quartered Strawberries, to top

Instructions

1. FOR THE MERINGUE BASE:
2. Preheat the oven to 290 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place the egg whites in a mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until foamy. Beat in the salt and cream of tartar.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Continue beating the egg whites until they reach soft peaks. Slowly beat in the sugar mixture until you have added it all. Once the egg whites have reached stiff peaks, add in the vinegar and vanilla, beating in only until incorporated
5. Spoon the glossy egg whites into the center of your prepared baking sheet and smooth the mound into a rectangle that is roughly 6"X9". Bake in the preheated oven for one hour. At the end of the hour, turn the oven off. Let the Pavlova sit in the oven and cool for 2 hours. DO NOT open the oven at all during the baking or cooling time. After it has sat in the oven for 2 hours, remove and let finish cooling completely at room temperature. Carefully place on serving dish.
6. FOR THE STRAWBERRY SAUCE:
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
8. Shred the vanilla bean lengthwise 4-5 times and lay on the bottom of a baking dish. Cover the vanilla beans with the prepared strawberries so that they are spread evenly across the dish. Sprinkle the coconut sugar evenly over the berries. Roast in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the coconut sugar has dissolved completely and is bubbling. Remove and let cool. Place the entire contents of the pan in a blender and add the honey. Process for 1-2 minutes at medium speed, or until mixture is smooth, save for the vanilla bean strands.
9. Run the puree through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids. Keep sauce refrigerated in an airtight container until use.
10. FOR THE CREAM:
11. Place the whipping cream, honey, and rosewater in a large mixing bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form.
12. TO ASSEMBLE:
13. Spoon all of the cream on top of the meringue and spread out evenly. Drizzle the strawberry sauce over the cream - you will have extra sauce(you're welcome! Use to top pancakes or in any other way you would use a fruit syrup).
14. Arrange sliced strawberries across the top of the Pavlova. If desired, top with edible flowers for a whimsical, springy look.
15. Serve!

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