Cherry Pavlova with Hibiscus

• servings: SERVES 8
• active time: ACTIVE TIME: 1 hour 15 m
• total time: TOTAL TIME: 4 hours 15 m

Ingredients

All-Purpose Meringue (page 344)

1 pound (454g) pitted fresh or thawed frozen sweet cherries (about 4 cups)

¼ cup sugar (1.8 oz / 50g)

2 teaspoons dried hibiscus petals

½-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and smashed

3 strips lemon zest, removed with a vegetable peeler

½ cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1½ cups heavy cream (12.7 oz / 360g), chilled

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:

Hand mixer

Directions

PREHEAT THE OVEN AND PREPARE THE SHEET PAN: Arrange an oven rack in

the center position and preheat the oven to 200°F. Line a sheet pan with a

silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

FORM AND BAKE THE MERINGUE: Scrape the meringue onto the prepared

sheet pan and use the back of a spoon to spread it into a rectangle

measuring about 12 x 7 inches, creating peaks and valleys in the meringue.

Transfer the sheet pan to the oven and bake until the meringue is dry to the

touch, very crisp on the outside, and soft and marshmallow-y on the inside, 2 to 2½ hours, rotating the sheet pan front to back after 1 hour. Test for

doneness by carefully peeling the baking mat or parchment away from the meringue. It should release cleanly; if any meringue sticks, continue baking. Turn off the oven, prop the door open with a wooden spoon, and allow the meringue to cool in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the meringue from the oven and let it cool completely on the sheet pan. If serving straightaway,

prepare the cherry topping while the meringue is cooling.

POACH THE CHERRIES: Place a large mesh sieve over a medium bowl and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the cherries and sugar and add just enough water to the saucepan to barely cover the cherries. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, swirling to dissolve the sugar, then reduce the heat to maintain a very gentle simmer and cook, swirling the saucepan occasionally, just until the cherries are softened and tender, about 5 minutes for fresh cherries and about 2 minutes for thawed frozen. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into the mesh sieve (reserve the saucepan). Allow the cherries to drain for several seconds, shaking the sieve to encourage any liquid to fall into the bowl. Pour the poaching liquid back into the saucepan, then place the mesh sieve back over the bowl so the cherries can continue to drain.

REDUCE THE POACHING LIQUID TO A SYRUP: Add the hibiscus, ginger, zest, and cinnamon stick to the poaching liquid and bring to a boil over medium- high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, swirling the saucepan occasionally, until the liquid is syrupy and reduced to about ⅔ cup (pour it into a heatproof liquid measuring cup to check the volume,

then return it to the saucepan and continue to reduce if it's not there yet). While the syrup is reducing, tip any cherry juices that accumulated in the bowl into the saucepan. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

ADD THE CORNSTARCH SLURRY: In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice and cornstarch until combined, then whisk the mixture into the syrup. Whisking constantly, return the syrup to a boil over medium heat and continue to cook for 20 seconds so the cornstarch can thicken the syrup. Remove the saucepan from the heat and set aside to cool completely (to speed up the process, you can cool down the syrup in an ice bath-see Chilling in an Ice Bath, page 358). Cover the cherries and leave them in the sieve over the bowl at room temperature until it's time to assemble.

WHIP THE CREAM: In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat the cream on low speed to start and gradually increase the speed to medium-high as it thickens, until you have a softly whipped cream that holds a droopy peak (see Whipping Cream, page 355).

ASSEMBLE AND SERVE: Place the drained cherries in a medium bowl (discard any additional liquid they may have released). Fish the ginger, zest, and cinnamon out of the cooled syrup and discard, then pour the syrup over the cherries and stir gently to combine. Dollop the whipped cream onto the meringue and spread across the surface with the back of a spoon. Spoon the cherries and syrup over the cream and serve immediately, cutting the pavlova in half lengthwise and into quarters crosswise to make 8 portions.

Notes

Pavlova is one of several desserts that combine crispy and marshmallow-y baked meringue with whipped cream and fruit to spectacular ends. The best versions are made with a relatively acidic fruit-the classic is passion fruit, which is very acidic-to balance out the sweet meringue. That's not to say you can't make pavlova with a sweet fruit like cherries, you just need a sour ingredient to accompany it. Normally I'd reach for citrus, but here I opt for hibiscus, a naturally tart edible flower that's used in the Caribbean, Mexico, and many parts of the world to make teas and other beverages. After briefly poaching the cherries, I add dried hibiscus petals and a few spices to the poaching liquid and reduce it to a syrup for drizzling over the pavlova. The petals rehydrate in the syrup and lend a wonderfully complex, floral sourness to the assemblage (because they're fully edible, I don't strain them out). Look for bulk bags of dried hibiscus flowers rather than individual tea bags, since the latter almost always contain other ingredients and flavorings.

Can I...

Make it ahead? Yes, but ... wait to assemble. The baked meringue, wrapped very well and stored at room temperature, will keep for up to 1 day (make sure it's wrapped airtight, or the meringue will absorb moisture from the air and become sticky). The whipped cream can be covered and chilled for

up to 2 hours (if it deflates and looks a bit liquidy, whip it again until soft peaks form). The poached cherries and syrup can be combined and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Let the mixture come to room temperature before assembling. Any assembled pavlova that's leftover can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerated, but the meringue will lose its crispiness.

Halve the recipe? Yes. Halve all of the ingredient quantities, plus the ingredient quantities for the All- Purpose Meringue (page 344), and follow the respective recipes as written. Spread the meringue into an 8 × 8-inch square on the prepared sheet pan and start checking it for doneness after 1 hour 30 minutes, since the half quantity of meringue will bake faster. For the cherries, poach them in a small saucepan and proceed with the recipe as written.

Use a stand mixer instead of a hand mixer? Yes. Combine the heavy cream and salt in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and proceed with the recipe as written, but note that the cream will whip faster and be easier to overwhip in a stand mixer.