Happy Sunday Friends!
I’ve been so excited to make and share this pavlova with you! Pavlova is one of those wonderful desserts that can be dressed up a thousand ways. Since the fruit selection in my neck of the woods is winding it’s way down to about 5 options (pears, apples, bananas, oranges, and clementines), I decided it was time that clementines had their day in the sun. Or snow, in my case.
This rustic pavlova consists of one giant, fluffy, crackly meringue topped with whipped cream, clementine curd, and clementines. It’s simple, really. I added a little bit of lemon juice to the clementine curd, because clementines lack the tart bite that lemons provide. Of course you could make the curd with all lemon juice, if that’s what you had. Or even oranges.
I’ve left the whipped cream unsweetened since it tops the pavlova, which is already very sweet. If you wanted to, though, you could add a few tablespoons of sugar when whipping to sweeten it up. Really not necessary, in my opinion.
I realize that topping the pavlova with whole citrus is not the most practical option, but it just looked so pretty! If you wanted a more, uh….user friendly dessert, you could peel the clementines and then slice them into rounds before topping the pavlova.
- FOR THE CLEMENTINE CURD:
- 1¼ Cup Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 large Egg Yolks
- ½ C. Fresh Clementine Juice
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
- 6 T. Butter, cut into cubes
- FOR THE PAVLOVA:
- 6 large Egg Whites, at room temperature
- large pinch of Salt
- ⅓ cup Cold Water
- 1¾ cups +2 tablespoons Sugar
- 1½ teaspoons White Vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons Orange Blossom Water
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- TO ASSEMBLE:
- 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
- Mint Leaves (not shown here, but preferable)
- 6-8 Clementines, peeled (you can slice them or leave them whole)
- Powdered Sugar, for dusting
- FOR THE CLEMENTINE CURD:
- Place the sugar and the cornstarch in a large saucepan and whisk together.
- Add the 2 eggs and 2 egg yolks to the sugar and whisk well.
- Add the clementine and lemon juice to the mixture and blend well.
- Add the cubed butter to the mixture and place over medium heat. Whisk constantly until the butter has melted and the mixture thickens and boils, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and transfer to a medium bowl.
- Press plastic wrap into the top of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until cold( at least 2-3 hours).
- FOR THE PAVLOVA:
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trace a 8" circle on the parchment paper and set the sheet aside.
- Place the egg whites and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until medium-stiff peaks form.
- Turn the mixer down to low speed and slowly beat in the water. Slowly pour in the sugar while beating. Once all of the sugar is mixed in, up the speed to high and continue to whip until very stiff peaks form ( the meringue should stick straight up when beaters are flipped facing upward). Add the vinegar and orange blossom water to the egg whites. Add the cornstarch to a fine mesh sieve and sift over the egg whites (this eliminates lumps). Fold everything together.
- Spoon the meringue into the center of the parchment circle. Mound and then smooth the meringue so that it comes right to the end of the circle and makes a smooth, tall mound. Run a icing spatula up the sides to create vertical lines all around the pavlova. Smooth the top of the mound, then make a small well (about 1 inch deep and 5 inches in diameter).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, reduce the heat to 275 degrees F and bake for another 50 minutes. When the 50 minutes is up, turn off the oven but do not open the door. Leave the pavlova in the oven for 1½ hours to cool. Remove from the oven and cool completely before filling.
- TO ASSEMBLE:
- Place the pavlova on a serving dish.
- Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Spoon on top of the pavlova and spread to the edges.
- Pour the clementine curd on top of the whipped cream. It is alright if it runs down the sides a bit.
- Place whole clementines or sliced clementines on top of the curd. Place mint leaves around the clementines. Dust with powdered sugar.
- Keep chilled until ready to serve. Cut into slices and enjoy!
Meringue recipe lightly adapted from Zoe Bakes
