Sunday, September 20, 2009

Ina's Berry Pavlova


Mixed Berry Pavlova from Ina Garten

This gorgeous confection was my birthday "cake" this year. I wasn't feeling the traditional birthday cake, and once I saw Ina make this, I knew I had to have it. I'm a huge fan of Barefoot Contessa and I just love Ina. I also saw a Martha Stewart recipe for pavlova that also looked beautiful and delicious, but ultimately I had to be loyal to my contessa. ;)

My mom took on the task of making this. I know it was time-consuming and I am so grateful to her for doing it for me - and it turned out amazing. She did an awesome job.

Pavlova is basically a dessert made from a giant circle of meringue. I've never been a fan of meringue, but this was different. After you bake it, you let it cool, then cover it with a massive amount of homemade whipped cream, and then finish it off with a berry sauce made from fresh berries and a raspberry-flavored beer. (We actually sipped on the beer before lunch and it was very good - it tasted more like a raspberry champagne.)

This combination of creamy flavors makes the pavlova sweet, luscious, melt-in-your-mouth yummy. I loved it.

Actually, we all loved it. And if you need proof - this is what was left of the pavlova after 10 minutes:

4 comments:

Justin said...

nice mom... happy belated birthday

cindy* said...

i made my own birthday cake this year and it was made with meringue too...and ice cream. yum!

what a nice mom! the berries look so yummy!

Julie said...

You are welcome, anything for you my darling.

It was a delicious 'cake' I can't wait until someone begs me to make it again.

Sam's Thots said...

Ymm. I gotta try this. Speaking of Rasberry Beer. Have you tried and desserts with Lemoncello liquor? Ymm. :)