Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Gluten-free dessert: pavlova

It's hard to find a dessert that's as budget-friendly as it is beautiful.

Pavlova is easy and elegant--and all without gluten!
  1. Whip until foaming: 3 egg whites at room temperature plus 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar.
  2. Whip in 3/4 cup sugar by the tablespoon until stiff peaks form.
  3. Drop dollops of meringue on parchment-covered baking sheet, making a nest 9" in diameter.
  4. Bake in preheated 275-degree oven for 1 hour.
  5. Leave meringue shell in closed oven for an additional 30 minutes. Handle with care.

Fill the inside of the nest with flavored whipped cream, Cool Whip, or even ice cream (for non-celiacs). Layer with whatever fresh fruit is on sale.

12 comments:

Kelly said...

Lovely !!!
Happy New Year!!!

Meredith said...

2 additional notes:

I would not attempt this without an electric mixer, handheld or stand. it's a lot of whipping.

This recipe takes minimal fruit to cover, pictured above are 2 sliced Kiwi and 3 large strawberries.

I whipped an ultra-pasteurized light cream from Thanksgiving (good thru end of Jan).

In fact, it looked so tempting after making it for our gluten-free friend that I made another for our New Year's Eve dinner tonight.

Chief Family Officer said...

Great idea, Meredith - thank you! As more and more friends and family have diet issues (health-related rather than weight-loss-related), I have had to expand my repetoire. Meringues make me nervous, but this seems easy enough, and it's beautiful to boot!

Mimi said...

That looks lovely!

Happy New Year

Michelle said...

WOW, that looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe.

Anonymous said...

HI Meredith,

I'm a reader from NZ - pavlova is pretty much our national dessert here :-)

Fabulous dessert. Great to make if you have a Kitchen Aid or something similar.

You can also just use cream and fold some lemon curd through it. YUM!
Cheers, Wilm

Anonymous said...

That is so pretty! I have been intimidated by this sort of thing before, but you make it sound so easy I just may try it. :)

Jennifer

Rachel said...

Gluten-free AND cheap? I'm making it this weekend for company!
I've read recipes for pavlova before, but never seen the finished products. I'm inspired now!

Jen said...

We spent six weeks in Australia many years ago and ate so much delicious pavlova! I even have a recipe for making it from one of the homes where we stayed but I've never done it. Yours is beautiful! Yum!

Candy said...

I haven't had this for years - thanks for the reminder!

Lora said...

I made your Pavlova recipe for company this weekend who are on a gluten free diet and it was beautiful and delicious. Thank you kindly for sharing the recipe.

GoodPlans said...

My dd16 studied New Zealand last year for a Geography Fair. She made and served Pavlova from her table. It was a big hit. Thanks for the reminder that we need to make it again soon!