Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova

A Pavlova is basically a large meringue disk, topped with various things. To my surprise, the inside has a very soft and light consistency making it a great dessert when you are craving chocolate, but not the heaviness of a brownie or cake. It was originally created for the ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova, and there is still debate whether it was originally created in New Zealand or Australia. Regardless, it is still very popular in both regions. This recipe originally came from Nigella Lawson from the Food Network at http://nigella.com/recipes/recipe.asp?article=211. I have since then changed quite a few things to my taste. So here is my recipe for it.

Ingredients:

6 egg whites

1 cup of sugar

3 TBS cocoa powder

1 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar

2 oz dark chocolate ( I use the 60% cocoa) + some to grate over the top for decoration

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 TBS powdered sugar

2 pints raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and cover cookie sheet with parchment paper. Chop the two ounces of chocolate into a mixture of fine powder and very small bits. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the sugar little by little while continuing to mix. It should have shiny stiff peaks. Add the cocoa, vinegar, and chopped chocolate, and fold in with a spatula. Once thoroughly mixed, pile in the middle of the parchment lined cookie sheet, making approximately a 9 inch diameter circle. (It will grow in size when it cooks). When the oven is preheated, turn the temperature down to 300 degrees and place the pavlova inside. Cook for approximately 1 hour. Once it is done, turn the oven off, and open the door allowing it to cool while in the oven, for about an hour. In the mean time you can make your whipped cream by placing 1 cup of heavy cream into the mixer and mixing until it forms stiff peaks. Add the powdered sugar and mix again until blended. To assemble, once it is cooled, place pavlova on serving tray, layer the whipped cream on top, then place the raspberries on whipped cream. Last, shave some chocolate with a potato peeler over the top. Enjoy! It should be made the same day you plan to eat it, however, I have refrigerated it over night, and found it to be wonderful the next morning. By doing this it does lose it crispy exterior and turns more into a light bread pudding consistency, (a little soggy) but it still tastes amazing.