Orange Curd Pavlova

Swirly meringue piled high with whipped cream, mandarin orange curd and sparkly fruit gems. # 380: Orange Curd Pavlova

She’s feeling fancy, all decked out in fruit and drizzled with homemade mandarin orange curd. Nary a chocolate chip in sight!

I was looking back at the first time I made a pavlova and WOW my photos have come a long way! Eight years later, I now know nothing beats indirect daylight.

Pavlova is all about textures, specifically the juxtaposition of a crispy outer meringue shell, and a marshmallowy inner meringue. The magic of low heat and a lot of patience, both in waiting for it to finish its oven spa time and also in trying out recipe after recipe to find one that gives the best results.

I think this one is a keeper! It’s from Benjamina Ebuehi, and it’s truly the Goldilocks of meringue recipes: didn’t overcook the outside, but still cooked the inside to perfection. (I decided to make mine more of a bowl with sides, so that lovely oosh in the center is whipped cream!)

Of course, putting a pile of whipped liquid on top of something that was meticulously dried out means it falls squarely into the category of “it’s best eaten same day.” Which translates to “guess I have to eat three helpings of it today, oops!”

Making tiny versions of recipes makes the stand mixer laugh at me.

I should probably adjust it so the whisk attachment actually reaches the bottom of the bowl, but until then my tiny portions just take longer to whip up.