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Boozy Cherry and Chocolate Pavlova
Pavlova meets Black Forest cake in a holiday dessert designed to wow: a meringue shell, a pillowy middle, sweet-tart cherries, and dark chocolate ganache.
👥 8 Servings👤 Shilpa Uskokovic📖 bonappetit
🥘 Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you prepare them:
🍳 Cookware
- ●bowl
- ●whisk
- ●oven
- ●spatula
- ●baking sheet
- ●saucepan
- ●peeler
📝 Preparation Steps
1
Pavlova
2
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 300°. Beat 6 large egg whites, 1¾ cups (350 g) sugar, 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ¼ tsp. cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on medium-low speed until egg whites are foamy and sugar is partially dissolved, about ⏱️ 5 minutes.
large egg whites6¾ cups (350 g) sugar1. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt2 tsp
3
Increase speed to medium and continue to beat, scraping down sides of bowl halfway through, until sugar is dissolved, medium-stiff peaks have formed, and meringue is opaque, shiny, and thick, 12–⏱️ 15 minutes (rub a small amount of meringue between 2 fingers; it should feel fairly smooth with only a few tiny grains of sugar if any).
4
Stir together 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. cornstarch and 1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar in a small bowl until dissolved. Add 1 (heaping) Tbsp. meringue and stir to combine. Pour into bowl with remaining meringue and fold with a rubber spatula until incorporated.
. plus 1 tsp. cornstarch1 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar1 Tbsp
5
Scrape meringue onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a small offset spatula, spread meringue into a 10x8" rectangle, about 1½" thick. Smooth top of rectangle flat. Using a rubber spatula, pull meringue upward in short strokes along all 4 sides to create grooves in the meringue. Dab small dollops of leftover meringue under each corner of parchment to help adhere it to baking sheet.
6
Bake meringue ⏱️ 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 275° and continue to bake until top of meringue feels crisp and dry to the touch and edge of meringue lifts easily from parchment paper, 70–⏱️ 80 minutes more. Let cool. Do Ahead: Meringue can be made ⏱️ 4 hours ahead. Store, uncovered, at room temperature.
7
Boozy Cherries
8
Cook juice of 1 large lemon, 2 lb. frozen cherries, preferably a mix of sweet and tart, 1½ cups (300 g) sugar, ½ cup red wine vinegar, and ¼ cup brandy in a large saucepan over medium heat until cherries are thawed, 8–⏱️ 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cherries to a medium bowl. Bring syrup to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 12–⏱️ 15 minutes. Let syrup cool slightly, then pour over cherries and let cool completely. Do Ahead: Cherries can be cooked 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
Juice of 1 large lemon. frozen cherries, preferably a mix of sweet and tart2 lb½ cups (300 g) sugar1
9
Ganache
10
Bring ⅔ cup heavy cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat, add 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped, and ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt and whisk until smooth and glossy. Scrape ganache into a small bowl and let cool. Do Ahead: Ganache can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.
⅔ cup heavy creamheavy cream2 cups. bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped4 oz
11
Whipped Cream and Assembly
12
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat 2 cups heavy cream, 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract, and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt in a large bowl until soft peaks form, about ⏱️ 2 minutes (alternatively, vigorously whisk by hand).
⅔ cup heavy creamheavy cream2 cups. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt1 tsp
13
Drain cherries (reserving syrup for another use). Carefully transfer meringue to a platter. Drizzle half of ganache over meringue. Spoon whipped cream over, piling high. Drizzle remaining ganache over whipped cream. Scatter cherries over cream. Using a vegetable peeler, shave chocolate into curls from 1 thick bar (at least 6.35 oz.) bittersweet chocolate (about 70% cacao) on top if desired
thick bar (at least 6.35 oz.) bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao; for serving; optional)1
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