Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova

When making ice cream, I need 6 egg yolks, leaving 6 egg whites all alone. As luck would have it, many recipes call for 6 lonely egg whites. One such recipe is Nigella Lawson's Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova. I've come across pavlova recipes often and was always a tad intimidated by them. They're simple and delicious, both light and rich (at least this one was).

Now, the entire time this was baking (a full hour), I kept getting questions as to what exactly I was making. "A pav.. what?" .. "how about instead of telling me the name, you tell me what it is" .. and other such things. So my lovelies, this is what I learned on Wikipedia. The pavlova originated in either Australia or New Zealand in the 20s in honor of ballerina Anna Pavlova. It is a baked meringue, mainly served with a cream and fruit.



Chocolate Strawberry Pavlova
(Nigella Lawson, Forever Summer, "Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova", 189)
6 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
1 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 1/4 cup heavy cream
1 pint raspberries or cored and halved strawberries
2-3 tbsp coarsely grated bittersweet chocolate (I omitted this)

Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites until satiny (as opposed to foamy) peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar 1 spoonful at a time until the meringue is stiff and shiny. Sprinkle the cocoa, vinegar, and chopped chocolate over the egg whites. Gently fold everything in until the cocoa is thoroughly distributed.

Mound the meringue onto the baking sheet, creating a fat circle approximately 9 inches wide. Smooth the sides and tops. Place in the oven and *immediately* reduce the oven temperature to 300F. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the edges and sides look crisp and the top is dry. Nigella notes that "when you prod the center you should feel the promise of squidginess beneath your fingers." Well, I must have prodded too forcefully because I just smashed a finger-sized hole in the top of mine.

Turn off the oven and leave the door ajar, letting the meringue cool completely in the oven.

When ready to serve it, invert it or slide it onto a nice big plate (or disposable pizza tin if you don't have a plate big enough...) Whisk the cream until it is thick and pile it atop the meringue. Scatter with raspberries or strawberries (though strawberries don't really scatter). Grate the chocolate atop the raspberries, if you so desire. I did not as strawberries don't usually have the tartness raspberries contain.