Pavlova is having a moment.
Yes, you read that right—the classic, baked meringue dessert that's often topped with whipped cream and fresh berries is trending. "Husk Meringue with Corn Mousse," a pavlova served by superstar chef Enrique Olvera at his new restaurantCosme, is basicallyThe Most Instagrammed Dessert of 2015. And it's followed closely by a pavlova made with a creamy lemon-lime topping atSantina, Mario Carbone and Rich Torissi's homage to the coastal Italian beachclub.
I've always loved Pavlova—there are few desserts as pretty or as light and easy to make. But the new attention the dessert is getting has shown me that they're a vehicle for a whole host of flavors, textures, and other deliciousness beyond cream and fresh berries. So I worked with the Epicurious Test Kitchen to develop our own elevated take on the simple dessert. Meet ourHibiscus Pavlova with Lemon-Hibiscus Cream.
It starts with perfect meringue
Some French desserts require a culinary degree and decades of experience. That's not the case with the meringue. Don't know a stiff peak from a soft one? What business does cream of tartar have being in a mixer with egg whites? This step-by-step slideshow has the answers.
More flavor = more flavor
Plain meringues are great, but they're really more about the texture than anything else. The flavor? Pure sweetness. We wanted to take things in a slightly more flavorful direction. Enter hibiscus—the flower brings a citrusy, bright flavor to the party. We ground a dried version of the flower into a superfine powder and folded it into the meringue. The resulting flavor is great; the light purple color might be even better.
Whip some tang into that Cream
Listen, there's absolutely nothing wrong with fresh, plain whipped cream. But things only get better when you start adding in different flavors—a subtle tang, a hit of saltiness. We amped up our whipped cream with store-bought lemon curd and sour cream for a tart note and folded in a sweet syrup we made with a few tablespoons of leftover hibiscous. Finally, we finished the cream off with a pinch of sea salt. (Because dessertsalwaysneed salt.)
The result is a dessert that's a perfect celebration of pre-Spring. Come summer, you'll want to top this with every type of berry you can get your hands on. But for now? Pillowy meringue and thick cream do just fine.
