Strawberry, Mango & Rose Pavlova

1. Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature 30 minutes (this helps create more volume). Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment. Draw a 9-inch circle on the paper. Invert paper so circle is on reverse side.

2. Preheat oven to 250°F. For meringue, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment* beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt on medium speed until soft peaks form. Add the 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 Tbsp. at a time, beating on high speed until stiff peaks form and meringue is no longer gritty (18 to 20 minutes), scraping down bowl as needed. Beat in lemon juice and rose water. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in cornstarch.

3. Spread meringue over circle on parchment, building up edges slightly to form a shell. Bake 1 1/2 hours (do not open door). Turn off oven; let dry in oven with door closed 1 hour. Remove; cool completely on sheet on wire rack.

4. In a large bowl toss mango and berries with the 2 Tbsp. sugar. Let stand 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl beat cream and mascarpone with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Place meringue shell on a large platter. Spread cream mixture into meringue shell. Spoon fruit mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Tray Bake:

Prepare meringue as above, except use 1/2 tsp. vanilla in place of the rose water. Spread into a 12x6-inch rectangle on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, using a spoon to make swooping indentations. Bake as directed. Top as above, except use whole blackberries and blueberries in place of the mango and strawberries. Garnish with strips of orange peel. Nutrition analysis per serving: same as above except 285 calories, 35 g carbohydrate, 13% Vitamin A, 13% Vitamin C

Mini Pavlovas:

Prepare meringue as above, except use 1/2 tsp. vanilla in place of the rose water. Spoon meringue mixture into 35 mounds (about 3 tablespoons each) onto 2 very large parchment paper-lined baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Using the back of a spoon, create an indent in each meringue. Bake for 30 minutes. Turn off oven; let meringue dry in oven with the door closed for 1 hour. Remove and cool completely. Fill each pavlova with 1 tablespoon of the mascarpone cream and swirl raspberry jam into each. Top each with a raspberry.Nutrition analysis per serving: same as above except 90 calories, 1 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 5 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 19 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 9 g total sugar, 4% Vitamin A, 1% Vitamin C, 19 mg sodium, 1% calcium, 0% iron

Tips

Store unfilled pavlovas in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 24 hours.

*

You can also use a hand mixer. Note the total beating time might be a little longer and the total volume a little less than with a stand mixer.