Mixed Berry Pavlova

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I am an Ina fan, through and through...and a very experienced cook. I followed this recipe exactly. After the prescribed baking time, the meringue was VERY fragile and just barely set. I set the oven for another 20 minutes (still at 180 and very little difference had been achieved. I decided to go up to 250 for another 20 minutes, and that did it. After allowing the meringue to cool, I had a meringue dome that was stable, yet still tender and moist inside.

If I make this again -- and I am sure that I will - I will try baking the recipe at 250 for 1.25 hours. I suspect that the slight reduction in time, and the increased temp, will yield the perfect result.

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I've never had this dessert before. Followed it to the T and turned out the way it looks. It's the internal texture that I do not like. It was like a foam. I am also not a fan of whipped yogurts for the same "foamy" reason. So if you are not a fan of this type of texture, you probably will not enjoy this dessert.

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I followed the recipe and it came out perfect. It is a beautiful and delicious dessert!
Maria
Miami, Fl

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I was wary of this dessert the first time I made it, it seemed like it might be too sweet (and it is indeed quite sweet! but my husband and I absolutely love it! I've always followed Ina's directions to a tee while making the Pavlova and have never had a problem with it setting and I've baked it in at least 3 different ovens. This is a dessert I will make again and again!

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I was very nervous about baking time because I had read the reviews and many people complained that the low baking temp (180 degrees resulted in a gooey mess, and figured she must've gotten it wrong and meant 350 degrees (the farenheit equivalent of 180 celsius. I debated which to use and then decided to stick with Ina's instruction because I've made MANY of her recipes and she has NEVER failed me. I followed instructions to a T. The disc came out exactly as noted in her book: crisp on the outside, soft inside. Perhaps people expect the entire thing to be crisp (like a merengue cookie but that is not what is called for -- the interior merengue is supposed to be soft and when it mixes with the whipped cream the taste is delicious. I let it the disc sit for a day in an airtight cake dome, still on the parchment. The bottom wept a little from the sugar but otherwise it was fine. When I inverted it, the inside was indeed very soft, but when spread with the whipped cream and topped with the berries, the cripsy part of the merengue made a nice "crust" for the bottom. I used less than 1/2 cup of the raspberry sauce for the fruit and served the remainder in a gravy boat, letting guests pour their own. The overall look was gorgeous (I used a footed cake plate and the taste was sensational. My guests raved. If I would make any changes on the next one, I would bake it just a little longer (but still at 180 so there was more of a crust on the bottom since we like that part -- maybe 30 extra minutes. Also, it needed longer to cool in the oven (off than an hour. Finally, I would cut the raspberry sauce recipe in half. It makes way too much. This is very easy to make and can be done in advance (just assembled last minute which takes 2 minutes. Ina knows what she is doing and I am so glad I made this. You will be too!!!

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I made this for my friend's birthday yesterday, following the directions exactly and it came out perfectly! Yes, I baked it at 180 degrees for an hour and a half, and turned off the oven and let it sit for an hour. I live in Florida and it was a somewhat humid day but the meringue came out perfectly! My guests said it was the best dessert they've ever had.
Maybe those of you who had trouble with the meringue didn't beat the egg whites enough--they have to be really stiff and glossy, and when folding in the vinegar and cornstarch, don't work it too much or it will break down.
Trust Ina's recipes--she had a lot more experience than we all do!

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Made the meringue, slow and low, as written and turned out AWESOME. For the topping, I made the whipped cream as Ina did. I used the leftover egg yolks and made lemon curd; before topping on the meringue, I lightened the curd by folding in some of the whipped cream. For fruit, I had frozen strawberries which I heated with a bit of moscato (what we had open and mashed with a fork.
The meringue is fairly sweet so the toppers shouldn't be too sweet. Another awesome recipe. Thank you Ina!

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I made this last year for Christmas dessert at my in-laws and they loved it. It was a perfect ending for a heavy Christmas dinner. They loved it so much they requested that I bring it again this year for dessert.

Side note: Even my 5 & 8 year old boys loved it. It is light and fresh tasting and it goes well with a cup of coffee and Christmas chatter.

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I am Australian and have been making pavlova since I was 14 years old. This is the closest recipe I've seen to an accurate pavlova. The temperature of 180 degrees is correct as pavlova is traditionally baked in a very low oven, however I have also baked pavlovas in warmer ovens and they still work. The difference is the amount of crispiness versus chewiness that you will get. For those of you who had runny outcomes, I think it is probably the stiffening of the egg whites that went wrong. Pavlovas are very temperamental and if you don't stiff the egg whites properly, then that will be your undoing. They should be room temperature to begin with. Also, the traditional topping on Pavlova is Kiwi fruit, strawberries and then (if you can find them spoon passionfruit pulp over the top. The passionfruit makes a huge difference to the taste sensation. If they are juicy you will only need 2 passionfruit. You may be able to find the canned alternative which is fine, just beware it may be sweetened.

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I am in love with this dessert. This is by far the most delicious dessert I have had. I requested to have this dessert to be made for me for my birthdays. I love making it. In fact I am in the process of making one!