Black Forest Pavlova

Forest Pavlova by Meeta K. Wolff

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Serves: approx. 6

Ingredients:

For the meringue

  • 4 large egg whites

  • 220g fine caster sugar

  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

  • 1 teaspoon vinegar

  • 1 teaspoon Kirsch

For the filling

  • 2 tablespoons Kirsch

  • 500g Morello cherries in a jar in fruit juice

  • 400g quark

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 250g whipping cream

  • 50g dark chocolate, grated

Method:

For the meringue

  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Draw a circle approx. 20 cm in diameter on a sheet of baking paper. Place, pencil-side down, on a baking tray.

  2. To make the meringue, whip the egg whites with an electric whisk to soft peaks. Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, occasionally scraping down the side of the bowl. Once all the sugar has been added whisk for another 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks form. The mixture should be thick and glossy. Make sure the sugar has dissolved completely and the meringue is not grainy. Add the cornstarch folding gently with a spatula, then pour in the vinegar and the kirsch and fold through.

  3. Spoon the meringue onto the baking paper and using a palette knife shape into a circle using the penciled mar as a guide. Pull the meringue upwards around the edge to create furrows, which will support the sides of the pavlova. Make a well in the middle, which will hold the filling. Make sure the base of the meringue is not too thin.

  4. Turn the heat down to 100 degrees C and bake the for 1 ½ hours until the pavlova is dry and crisp. Turn the oven off and leave the meringue in the oven, with the door ajar until cooled completely – 4 to 5 hours. Do not remove the meringue from the oven when it is still warm as it will cool too quickly and may crack and collapse.

  5. Slide the pavlova onto a plate and spoon the filling into the center.

For the filling

  1. Drain the cherries reserving about 2 tablespoons of the fruit juice. Place cherries in a bowl, pour the reserved juice and 1 tablespoon Kirsch and allow to macerate until the meringue is ready.

  2. To make the quark filling mix together the quark, sugar and remaining kirsch. Whisk the whipped cream until stiff and fluffy. Gently fold into the quark mixture.

  3. When ready to serve fill the meringue with the quark-cream mixture, spoon the kirsch cherries over the top and sprinkle the grated chocolate. Drizzle some of the cherry liquid over the filling and serve immediately.

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