Summer Berry Pavlova by Le Calabash
This summer vacherin (pavlova) is the perfect sweet ending for a long summer lunch. 🍓
Top it with all these delicious summer berries and edible flowers you can find in the markets right now. The meringue can be elevated with exciting flavours and textures by incorporating flavoured syrups, nuts, pastes and candy.
Remember to decorate at the last possible moment as humidity is no friend of the pavlova.
Pair with Champagne or Grenache.
Thank you to the Alison from Le Calabash cooking school in Loire Valley for sharing her version of this beautiful Vacherin Pavlova. 🍓
Summer Vacherin/ Pavlova
Equipment
- 8 inch Circle mould
Ingredients
Genoese Sponge
- 10 eggs
- 250 gr caster sugar (8.81 oz)
- 250 gr flour (8.81 oz)
- 125 gr butter (4.4 oz)
Raspberry Parfait
- 300 gr raspberry purée (10 2/3 oz)
- 150 gr sugar (5 1/3 oz)
- 6 egg yolks
- 75 ml water (2 1/2 oz)
- 150 ml whipping crea (5 1/16 oz)
Meringue
- 90 gr egg whites (3.17 oz)
- 75 gr caster sugar (2.65 oz)
- 10 gr fécule (starch) (0.35 oz)
- 75 gr icing sugar (2.65 oz)
Instructions
Genoese Sponge
- Whisk the eggs and the sugar with a balloon whisk in a bowl over a pan of hot water.
- Whisk until the mixture is light, creamy and double in bulk.
- Remove from the heat and whisk until cold and thick (ribbon stage)
- Fold in the flour gently.
- Fold in the melted butter.
- Place in a greased floured mould and bake in a moderately hot oven at200°C for about 30 minutes.
Raspberry Parfait
- Boil the sugar and water to 120°C / 248°F
- Meanwhile whisk the egg yolks until they leave a trail in the bowl. Add the syrup to the whisked egg yolks and keep whisking until cold.
- Whip the cream, then fold the purée and whipped cream into the egg mixture. Place into a circle mould and freeze
Meringue
- Froth the egg whites slightly. Mix the caster sugar and the fécule, then pour onto the frothed egg whites.
- Stop beating once you obtain smooth texture.
- Add the icing sugar with a spatula.
- Using a piping bag, pipe a meringue base and small balls of meringue for the final decoration.
- Cook for about 1hour for the base and 20 minutes for the small balls at 120°C. Turn off the oven and leave in the oven for an hour.
To assemble
- Pipe a layer of crème Chantilly onto the base of the vacherin
- Place on top of this a layer the Genoese sponge, the raspberry parfait and another layer of sponge. Sprinkle with simple syrup to moisten slightly and pipe a final layer of crème Chantilly
- Garnish with red berries, small meringues and edible flowers.
- Finish with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
Culinary Tip
- Meringue can be elevated with exciting flavours and textures by incorporating flavoured syrups, nuts, pastes and candy.
Chefs Alison and Sidney at their beautiful cooking school is located in the heart of Loire region, home to European Renaissance with its many chateaux. In this region you can also find the finest goat’s cheese producers and winemaking has been deeply rooted here for centuries. This area is simply known as France’s ‘Bread Basket’.
