Possible Cooking Methods: Oven Air Fryer 
Pavlovas have fascinated me for some time. They are quite something to present at a dining room table and yet they are really very easy to prepare and can be decorated in any number of ways. I love that there is a deliberate inelegance about a pavlova that gives the cook the freedom to err. It doesn’t have to be perfectly round, you don’t have to take great care to ice it properly or decorate it meticulously. It’s fancy-free and footloose! This pavlova is flavored delicately with pistachio crumbs and then decorated with more pistachios and strawberries.
½ cup roasted, salted and shelled pistachios
4 egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups sliced strawberries
*All quantities change for alternate method
Oven Directions
Serves:4 to 6
Cooking Time: 1 to 1½ hours
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Put the pistachios in a mini chopper, food processor or clean spice grinder. Pulse the nuts until you have some larger chunks as well as some fine crumbs. Set this aside.
3. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until fluffy. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time and continue to beat the egg whites until they are glossy and stiff. Pour the pistachios into a coarse strainer over the bowl of beaten egg whites, letting the fine crumbs fall through into the whites. Set the coarser chunks aside for later. Gently fold the fine crumbs into the egg whites along with the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the egg white mixture on top in a circle about 10-inches in diameter. Transfer the pan to the oven and lower the heat to 275°F for 1 hour. When the pavlova has finished baking, let it sit in a turned off oven for at least an hour. Then remove it from the oven and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
5. When you are ready to serve, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Spread the cream on top of the pavlova and then scatter the strawberries on top randomly. Sprinkle the large chunks of pistachio on top and slice into wedges at the table.
Additional Cooking Directions for
Pistachio Pavlova with Strawberries
Air Fryer Directions
Serves:4 to 6
Cooking Time:30 minutes
Change Ingredients: Cut ALL ingredient quantities in half. This is a recipe for a 5- quart air fryer. While you might be able to fit the pavlova into a 3-quart air fryer, it can be a little challenging with a smaller unit. If you have a 3-quart air fryer, you’re up for a challenge and aren’t set on the pavlova looking like a perfect circle, give it a try.
1. Put the pistachios in a mini chopper, food processor or clean spice grinder. Pulse the nuts until you have some larger chunks as well as some fine crumbs. Set this aside.
2. Using a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until fluffy. Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time and continue to beat the egg whites until they are glossy and stiff. Pour the pistachios into a coarse strainer over the bowl of beaten egg whites, letting the fine crumbs fall through into the whites. Set the coarser chunks aside for later. Gently fold the fine crumbs into the egg whites along with the cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla. Pre-heat the air fryer to 350°F.
3. Cut a circle of parchment paper that is roughly 8-inches in diameter. Spread half the egg white mixture onto the parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge of the paper circle. Lower the parchment paper into the basket of the air fryer. (You can use an aluminum foil sling to help with this by taking a long piece of aluminum foil, folding it in half lengthwise twice until it looks like it is about 26-inches by 3-inches. Place this under the raw pavlova and hold the ends of the foil to move the parchment circle into and out of the air fryer.)
4. Air-fry at 250°F for 30 minutes. When the pavlova has finished baking, let it sit in the turned off air fryer for another 30 minutes. Then remove it from the air fryer basket and let it cool on a wire rack.
5. Repeat with the remaining pavlova batter.
6. When you are ready to serve, beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Spread the cream on top of the two pavlova circles and then scatter the strawberries on top randomly or in a decorative manner. Sprinkle the large chunks of pistachio on top.
7. You can choose to serve two smaller pavlovas or you can make a double decker pavlova by stacking one circle on top of the other and pressing down gently. Slice into wedges to serve.
