Vanilla Bean & Lemon Pavlovas with Peaches & Honey
Vanilla Bean & Lemon Pavlovas with Peaches & Honey
½ cup of sugar
2 large egg whites, room temperature
2-finger pinch of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of cornstarch
½ teaspoon of lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 whole vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
3-4 peaches, thinly sliced
Honey
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In an ovenproof dish, heat the sugar for 10 minutes. After sugar is heated, reduce the heat to 200 degrees F.
Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet and, using a pencil, draw as many 6-inch circles on the paper as possible. Flip the sheet over.
In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and salt. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean, add to the bowl and beat on high speed until soft peaks form. With the mixer still on, slowly add the heated sugar and beat until firm, shiny peaks form.
Remove the bowl and, using a silicon spatula, gently fold in the cornstarch and lemon juice. Using the circles on the parchment paper as your guide, pile the meringue into the middle of the circle and fit the meringue into the circle, making sure to leave a well in the middle of each meringue.
Transfer the meringues to the oven and let them bake for 1½ hour. Then turn oven off and let cool for 1 hour in the oven.
When the meringues are ready, arrange the sliced peaches in a rosette pattern and drizzle with honey. Enjoy!