POV: it’s a gloomy Sunday afternoon, The Devil Wears Prada 2 soundtrack has been blaring through my apartment since I woke up, and I have a bowl of egg whites staring up at me as I prepare my very first recipe to kick off my journey through Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook.
Now, I want to preface this by saying I chose to start with pavlovas for a few reasons. The first being that I have never made a meringue before, and it felt right to begin with something completely new. Second, it felt approachable. Pavlova is a simple but effective dessert—made with just a few ingredients and guaranteed to impress a crowd once topped with some fresh summer berries. It’s hard to mess up!
With that being said, I did learn a few things along the way. The recipe starts with whisking the sugar and egg whites in a large bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Don’t be intimidated by this—it was pretty simple. I poured about two cups of water into my old saucepan, brought it to a boil within a few minutes, then placed the bowl for my electric mixer on top and got whisking. Within about two minutes, the sugar had dissolved into the egg whites and the mixture was warm to the touch.
From there, I used my electric mixer to whisk until stiff peaks formed, then spooned out six dollops onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I threw them in the oven for about an hour and—voilà!
~channelling my inner Martha~ I filled the meringues with a mixture of crème fraîche and some powdered sugar, then topped with fresh berries.
While I received “10/10” and “no notes!” from my best friend and boyfriend (who both thoroughly enjoyed a pre-dinner dessert), I do have one note. The meringues baked quicker than expected and picked up a little color on the thinner parts in the middle. I’d recommend lowering the oven temperature to about 175–200°F, especially if your oven runs hot.
Other than that, this recipe was exactly what I expected: sweet and simple, perfect for a little pick-me-up on a gloomy afternoon. I highly recommend enjoying it with your favorite bubbly cocktail and a good playlist to keep the vibes high.
Leave a Reply