Pavlova dessert

Prepare all the ingredients for Pavlova dessert. The cream should have a fat content of at least 33%. They, like cottage cheese, should be chilled. It is also recommended to chill the egg whites in advance. Preheat the oven to 80 degrees in the "top-bottom" mode.

Prepare the meringue base for Pavlova dessert. Pour the egg whites into a heat-resistant bowl. Add sugar and lemon juice. Pay attention to the fact that the bowl and the mixer blades should be perfectly clean and dry. There shouldn't even be a drop of fat on them, otherwise your egg whites may not beat well or not beat at all.

Remove the bowl with the egg whites to a water bath. Beat the egg whites with sugar in a water bath until the sugar is completely dissolved. The mass should become light. The water temperature should not exceed 60 degrees so that the egg whites do not cook.

Remove the bowl with the egg whites from a water bath and continue to beat with a mixer for another 5-8 minutes. The mixture should become denser.

Gently add cornstarch to the egg whites and gradually mix it into the mass. Do this slowly to prevent the egg whites from settling. It's best to mix in the cornstarch with a wooden or silicone spatula, without using a mixer. It's important to use cornstarch specifically for this recipe. It cannot be replaced with potato starch.

Prepare a baking tray. Line it with parchment paper. Transfer the egg white mixture to a pastry bag fitted with an open star tip. Pipe meringue shapes onto the parchment. If you don't have a pastry bag or tip, you can simply spoon the meringue shapes onto the tray. This recipe yields 4 pastries. Place the baking tray in the middle of a preheated oven at 80 degrees Celsius. Bake the meringues for 1.5-2 hours. The exact cooking time depends on the power of your oven and the size of the meringues. They should be well dried on the outside and slightly soft on the inside. Pay attention to the temperature. It should not be too high, otherwise your meringues will turn yellow and start to release syrup. It's better to increase the cooking time rather than the temperature. This is the main rule for making meringue.

Remove the baked meringues from the oven and let them cool completely.

Prepare the cream for the Pavlova dessert. In a deep bowl, place the cream cheese. Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar. For extra flavor, you can add vanilla extract or lime zest to the cream.

Beat everything well using a mixer until smooth and fluffy.

Transfer the cottage cheese cream to a pastry bag with an "Open Star" attachment. Squeeze the cream on top of the meringue base in a circle, leaving a small space inside like a nest. Place pitted cherries inside this space and cover them with cream. You can replace cherries with any other favorite berries. In winter, instead of fresh berries, you can use thick jam. It's better if it has a slight tanginess to balance the sweetness of the meringue. Decorate the Pavlova dessert with berries and mint leaves on top. Store the dessert in the refrigerator for no more than 1.5-2 days.

Serve the Pavlova dessert slightly chilled. Enjoy your meal!