Introduction
This is a great summertime recipe whenever you have fresh rhubarb and strawberries. The recipe is also a great way to practice making meringue as that’s where most of the effort and difficulty of this recipe lies. The final product is unexpectedly delicious, despite being a fairly simple creation. The recipe is assembled in pieces (first the meringue, then the rhubarb, then the strawberries, then the whipped cream), so it’s fairly amenable to mistakes on any given step.
Recipe Outline
| Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Pavlovas With Rose | Special Equipment: Stand Mixer |
| Source: Dessert Person | Time: 6 hours |
| Author: Claire Saffitz | Difficulty: 3/5 |
| Type: Dessert (Baking) | Score: ★★★★☆ |
Making The Meringue
Tip 1: Consider sifting the powder sugar if clumpy so it combines easier.
Tip 2: You will likely need to beat the egg whites for longer than recommended in the book. We had to beat ours for significantly longer after adding the powdered sugar to achieve stiff peaks (several minutes). Look up reference images for the various stages of your meringue. There are examples in the book on page 23.
Poaching The Rhubarb
Tip: Not all of the rhubarb will be poached well (rhubarb near the bottom of the pot will likely get a tad mushy). That’s fine, you just need “most” of it to be usable.
Preparing Strawberries and Cream
Assembling The Pavlovas
Final Product
Key Takeaways
- Keep in mind that the individual components can be made ahead of time and assembled afterwards.
- Adding the rose water is optional (and only ½ tsp is used).
- Feel free to halve the recipe if you only want 3 or 4 pavlovas.
- Final Score: 4/5 – This is a great summer recipe that isn’t too difficult, albeit a bit time consuming due to the meringue. The end result is surprisingly good and flavorful (it’s better than you think it’d be).
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