KEY LIME PAVLOVA

But back to pavlova. Guys, pavlova is the dreamiest (in its mini state or not). Think whipped clouds. The best campfire marshmallows. Or basically any other perfect thing in the world.Warren remains the meringue whisperer in our house and it’s a job I gladly turn over to him. Making meringue just makes me all kinds of anxious. But when a marvel like this eventually appears, I get crazy happy.

Then pile that crispy on the outside pillowy soft on the inside pavlova with homemade lime curd.Whoa, nelly.

Take another second and remember five years of loveliness.And what it was like to be young and in love in D.C. Oh, Old Town Alexandria, how I miss thee.

Then get back to that whole pavlova business.You could eat the pavlova with just that layer of lime curd and never go back. But since we go all out when we celebrate life things, we double-tiered this baby.And added white chocolate whipped cream.

And blackberry sauce.

Go big or go home.

And then we stacked it all over again, creating a little bit of paradise with this two-tiered Key Lime Pavlova.

Sure, single-tier pavlovas are all well and good, but when you cut into this double decker, the world pauses for a second to take it all in.How could it not?This Key Lime Pavlova is an ode to all the things Warren loves–key lime pie, white chocolate, meringe, and Nilla wafer crusts. While traditional key lime pies use graham cracker crusts, Warren is adamant that it should be Nilla wafers.

And hey, I don’t argue with the pie expert.

While we didn’t spend this lovely fifth anniversary in an exotic locale (like Korea or Morocco–I mean, it’s hard to top camel trekking through the Sahara on one’s anniversary), we are happy nesting and prepping for the next big adventure in our lives.I still am totally worried about how this whole parenting thing will go but knowing that Warren will be by my side throughout it all makes my heart rest so much easier. He is one gem of a man and I’m lucky to be loved by him.Wishing you all the sweetest kind of week!

Key Lime Pavlova

For the Lime Curd
Adapted from Crazy for Crust


3 large eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
zest of 1 large lime
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Put eggs, sugar, salt, lime juice, and zest in a medium saucepan; whisk until smooth. Place over low heat and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens (about 4-5 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in butter. Put lime curd in a separate bowl, cover, and refrigerate over night.


For the White Chocolate Whipped Cream
Adapted from What the Fork


1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli)


Make the white chocolate ganache the day: Put half of the cream in a glass, microwave-safe bowl. Heat for one minute, until cream is hot. Stir in white chocolate chips, until smooth (it might clump up on you, but keep stirring–it will eventually smooth). Cover and chill ganache in the refrigerator over night.

When you are ready to assemble the pavlova, beat the white chocolate ganache until light and fluffy (2 minutes). Add remaining cream and beat until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.

For the Pavlova
Adapted from Ina Garten

*Note: This recipe makes enough for a two-tiered pavlova. If you only want to make one, use 4 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon vinegar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

6 large egg whites, room temperature
pinch kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking pan. Use the base of an 8 or 9-inch spring-form pan to trace two circles on a sheet of parchment paper (I used an 8-inch). Flip the parchment paper so the pencil markings are on the bottom. Alternatively, you can skip the tracing step and just eyeball how large or small you want your pavlovas to be.

To make the pavlova, place the egg whites and salt in a large bowl (or in the bowl of a stand mixer). Whisk on high for 1 minute then slowly add the sugar (with the mixer still running). Whisk for another 3-5 minutes, until stiff peaks form (the meringue will not slop back down into the bowl with you lift a beater out.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and sprinkle cornstarch on the meringue. Add the vinegar (you won’t taste this when it is baked, it just helps stabilize the mixture) and vanilla. Fold everything in with a rubber spatula.

Spoon mixture into a large ziplock bag (so you can more easily pipe out small circle) or use a large spoon to create pavlova circles on the parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake for 60 minutes then turn off the oven and let the meringue cool completely. It will be crisp on the outside an a little gooey on the inside (if you over bake them, you’ll just get cute little meringues, which are just as tasty so don’t worry!).

Blackberry Sauce


3/4 cup blackberry preserves
1/2 cup fresh blackberries

Heat blackberry preserves in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir in blackberries.


To Assemble


2 pavlova rounds
1 batch lime curd
1 batch white chocolate whipped cream
1 batch blackberry jam
1/2 cup Nilla wafer crumbs
fresh blackberries and lime slices for topping

Layer the pavlova as follows: pavlova, half of the lime curd, half of the Nilla wafer crumbs, half of the white chocolate whipped cream, and half of the blackberry sauce. Repeat once more and top with blackberries and lime slices.

 

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Check out my Project Yum board for more sweet ideas.