Strawberry Pavlovas for Valentine's Day

With Valentine's Day approaching it is required to have a great dessert.  Or at least it should be and chocolate is by far the top choice for most.  I thought I would try to come up with something a little different this year, and lighter if possible.  Upon going through several old pictures I came across a pavlova I had done before with lemon curd and berries - very yummy - and I thought about changing it up a little for this holiday.

Pavlova's are a large version of a meringue cookie and will hold whatever shape you put it into before it goes into the oven.  I decided that instead of just going with the standard round, I would give it the festive heart shape for this season.  I also thought that I would go with the traditional color scheme as well and nothing says love in February like pink with strawberries and sprinkles.  Then because I was trying to keep this light, gluten free and do something new, I decided to add some coconut milk whipped cream also.

It is a pretty easy dessert for a lot of wow factor you just have to be ready to put a little time into it
and have it planned out.  Some recipes will tell you to leave the pavlova in the oven for as little as 2 hours after you turn the oven off but others say to leave it overnight, which is the way that I went just to be sure.  I also didn't want to use food coloring so I macerated some strawberries in sugar and let them create a nice juice I was able to add to get the pretty pink color.  I did use the store bought red sugar crystals to give a festive touch.  It's also important to be prepared ahead of time.  I used a cookie cutter to draw heart shapes on parchment paper and then turned the ink side down onto the baking sheet to use as templates.

This is before it goes into the oven

I was really excited to give the whipped cream a try.  I've seen it on Pinterest so much and I've been waiting to have a good reason to use it.  I thought about using it on my pies at Christmas, but that was a little too much pressure for trying something new for me.  But this was a great chance to give it a try.  I would have to say it was a tremendous success if do say so myself.

The pavlova is super light when you hold it, in fact it feels like it's barely there.  But it has a great crunch and then when you let it start to melt in your mouth it almost takes on a cotton candy type of feel  getting a touch sticky on your teeth.  The flavor is sweet but in such a light way that it is not overwhelming in the least.  By adding the coconut whipped cream it gave a bit more body and added silkiness to the crunch for a super combination of textures.  I didn't add up the calorie count but when the whole plate was finished it didn't feel heavy or even give any pains of guilt.  I think the only thing I would change though is to add some chocolate.  Somehow it just seems to be the right thing to do.  The  best place for that I think would be on the strawberries that I added to the middle with the cream and on the top.  Using a chocolate covered strawberry would be just the right touch.

It works best to use a steak knife or other serrated edge device to cut through each bite although it isn't necessary, it just keeps it looking pretty.

Strawberry Pavlova torte with Coconut whipped cream

4 large egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
3/4 c. sugar
strawberry juice*
1/2 tsp strawberry extract (opt.)
7-8 strawberries
red sprinkles

Coconut whipped cream
1 can (14 oz) coconut cream (put into fridge at least 1 hour but best if left over night)
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla

preheat oven to 225 degrees.  Use parchment paper to draw out design (circle, heart, etc) and put it ink side down onto baking sheet.  Using a very clean stainless steel bowl add egg whites and cream of tartar.  Start on low for a few seconds to break up the eggs then bring it up to med high until it starts just get to soft peak stage.  Then begin adding in the sugar about a Tbsp at a time or a slow steady sprinkling.  Once all of the sugar has been incorporated beat on high until it is glossy and stiff peaks have formed.  Stop the mixer, add flavor and color and then quickly mix on high again until it is all incorporated.

Using a spoon dollop the meringue onto the parchment paper and smooth it into the appropriate shape.  Add sprinkles over the top.  Put into the oven and bake for 90 minutes.  Then leaving the door closed, turn the oven off and turn the light on.  Leave in the oven for a minimum of 2 hours up to overnight.  Take out of the oven and gently remove from parchment and put onto a cooling rack.  The bottoms should be slightly brown.

For the whipped cream:  put the can of coconut into the fridge and chill it thoroughly (put it in when you put the pavlova into the oven).  Don't shake the can.  Put the bowl you are going to use and the whisk into the fridge for @5-10 min.  Turn it upside down and using a can opener remove the top, which was formerly the bottom of the can.  Drain all of the liquid off - you can keep this to use in other ways.  Put only the solid cream into the bowl and mix on high for 2-3 minutes.  Slow the mixer down to low and sprinkle the sugar on top and slowly drizzle in the vanilla.  Whip back on high for another 30 seconds or so.  You can actually do this ahead of time and store in a covered container in the fridge and just whip it again for a short time before you use it.

To assemble place one pavlova on a plate, add a layer of whipping cream, then slices of strawberries.  Top with a second pavlova.  Add a dollop of cream and another sliced strawberry on top.  You can sprinkle the top with some powdered sugar or even drizzle some chocolate sauce too if you desire.  You want to assemble just before eating so that the liquid in the cream and berries doesn't begin to "melt" the pavlova.

* To get the strawberry juice place 2-3 strawberries in a bowl and sprinkle sugar on top.  Stir so that all the berries are completely covered and leave for several hours in the fridge.  The sugar will help the berries release their liquid and give you a good amount of juice to use as both color and flavoring in one.