Chocolate Pavlova with Rhubarb Curd

The very name chocolate pavlova conjures up delight and decadence. These individual chocolate pavlovas are perfect for entertaining and alfresco dining. The chocolate meringues are topped with rhubarb and elderflower curd along with roasted rhubarb. Pure bliss and a striking summer dessert.

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Last weekend my mother turned up with a lovely bunch of rhubarb from her garden. Rhubarb used to flourish on our allotment and we had a big glut every year. Since moving down to our plot on the field, however, rhubarb has persistently refused to grow and I really miss it.

My rhubarb yearning was partially stimulated by a desire to make chocolate meringues. Yes I know the connection isn’t obvious, but I had a grand vision for chocolate and rhubarb pavlovas topped with rhubarb and elderflower curd. For elderflowers are also in season right now.

Chocolate Pavlova with Roasted Rhubarb and Rhubarb Curd

This is a recipe of three parts. You can make all of the components for these individual chocolate and rhubarb pavlovas in advance and assemble them just as you’re ready to serve. However, egg yolks don’t keep very well, so if you’re planning on making the meringues and curd on separate days, make the curd first.

Egg whites will keep happily in the fridge for a couple of days. You can store the curd in the fridge for up to a month. Just make sure you sterilise the jars first and seal them well.

If you’re planning on making all three on the same day, it’s best to start with the roasted rhubarb. This doesn’t take long to cook, but it will take a while for the oven to heat up. Prepare the meringues whilst this is happening and then bake them as soon as the oven has cooled down to the required temperature. You can then make the curd whilst the meringues are baking.

The mini pavlovas I’d initially envisioned actually ended up being rather large. The grand vision I had didn’t exactly come to pass either. But goodness gracious, the rhubarb pavlovas were scrummy.

The combination of zingy rhubarb curd with chocolate meringues complement each other perfectly. The contrasting textures of smooth and crunchy add to the overall enjoyment. The rhubarb curd is delicious in its own right and I was really pleased with the lovely orange colour it turned into; I was thinking it might just come out as a rather unlovely muddy brown.

Roasted Rhubarb

Stewed rhubarb is lovely, but roasting this tart fruit enhances its flavour even further. And to make it even more delicious, try adding a little elderflower cordial before you roast the rhubarb.

Chocolate Meringues

Every pavlova needs a good meringue base. I already knew mine was going to be a chocolate one, but could I find a recipe for it anywhere? So, as usual I went my own way with the chocolate meringues. Although dark chocolate coloured meringues would look rather good, I didn’t want the flavour to dominate. So I went for a light touch and used cocoa.

I used arrowroot to stabilise the meringue, but you could use cornflour if you prefer. Arrowroot works in a similar way to cornflour, but it’s said to have beneficial properties. When a recipe calls for cornflour, I invariably use arrowroot instead.

When you’re forming the meringues, indent the middles to resemble nests. This will hold the rhubarb curd. And if you like the speckled look, dust the meringues with cocoa powder before baking. Which, as you can see, is what I did.

Vegan Meringues

If you’d like to have a go at making vegan chocolate meringues, follow my recipe for brown sugar aquafaba meringues. But instead of using brown sugar, use golden caster sugar. You can either use vanilla sugar or add half a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Then add the arrowroot and cocoa powder as described in the meringue recipe below.

Rhubarb and Elderflower Curd

One of the things I used to make a lot of was rhubarb curd. So when I got my hands on this rhubarb, I had a sudden yearning to make some again. However, the last time I made it was back in the days when I didn’t even know what a blog was. Never mind a recipe blog. So I couldn’t remember exactly how I made it. But I’m ever resourceful and I’ve made a lot of fruit curds, so I managed to come up with a most delicious rhubarb and elderflower curd. 

The colour of some rhubarb curds is spectacular, but I’m guessing they’re made with forced rhubarb. Either that or food colouring. My rhubarb is just regular garden rhubarb, so the resulting colour is orange rather than pink. The taste, however, is sensational.

Once you’ve cooked your rhubarb, you’ll need to purée it. You could put it in a blender, but I find a stick blender* is perfect for the job.

Chocolate and Rhubarb Pavlovas

To assemble the individual pavlovas, spoon a tablespoon of rhubarb curd onto each meringue, then decorate with fingers of roasted rhubarb in whatever way you like. For a touch of extra decadence, top with a teaspoonful of clotted or whipped cream.

Other Rhubarb Recipes You Might Like

• Honey cakes with rhubarb
• Remarkable rhubarb cake
• Rhubarb crumble: a classic dessert with ten variations
• Rustic rhubarb galette with orange flaky pastry
• Waffles with rhubarb & rose compote
• White chocolate & rhubarb ice-cream

Keep in Touch

If you’d like more dessert recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.

Choclette x

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Chocolate Pavlova with Rhubarb Curd – The Recipe

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Rhubarb Pavlova with Rhubarb Curd

These individual pavlovas are perfect for entertaining and alfresco dining. The chocolate meringues are topped with rhubarb and elderflower curd along with roasted rhubarb. Pure bliss and a striking summer dessert.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr 30 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Antipodean, British

Keyword: fruit curd, meringue, rhubarb

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 267kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment

• stick blender*

Ingredients

Pavlova

• 3 large egg whites (I used duck eggs)
• a pinch of cream of tartar
• 200 g golden caster sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
• ½ tsp vanilla extract (unless using vanilla sugar)
• 3 teaspoons arrowroot (can use cornflour instead)
• 4 teaspoons cocoa powder + extra for dusting

Rhubarb Curd

• 400 g rhubarb stems – already trimmed
• 2 tbsp elderflower cordial
• 3 egg yolks
• 100 g golden caster sugar (I used vanilla sugar)
• 50 g unsalted butter

Roasted Rhubarb

• 200 g rhubarb stems – already trimmed
• 1 tbsp elderflower cordial
• 1 tbsp golden caster sugar (I used vanilla sugar)

Instructions

Pavlova

• Separate the eggs into two bowls. Whisk the whites in a large clean bowl until foamy and reserve the yolks for the curd.
• Add a pinch of cream of tartar to the whites and whisk until soft peaks form. You can do this by hand or use electric beaters.
• Add the vanilla extract (if using) and the sugar a tablespoonful at a time, whisking in between each one.
• Sieve in the arrowroot and cocoa powder and whisk until stiff peaks form.
• Spoon the mixture onto lined baking trays to form eight circles, leaving plenty of space in between each one. The meringues will nearly double in size.
• Form them into nest shapes, leaving a large indentation in the middle.
• Dust a little cocoa powder over each one, if liked.
• Bake at 150℃ (130℃ fan, 300℉, Gas 2) for 10 minutes, then at 125℃ (105℃ fan, 275℉, Gas ½) for a further hour. Switch off the oven, open the door slightly and leave the meringues inside until cold.

Rhubarb Curd

• Chop the rhubarb stems into chunks.
• Put them in a lidded pan with the elderflower cordial and simmer until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Puree the rhubarb. A stick blender is ideal for this.
• Mix the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar.
• Place it over a pan of simmering water and stir. You can do this in a pan directly, but it can be harder to control the heat and you don’t want scrambled eggs.
• Add the hot rhubarb puree and continued to stir.
• After about 10 minutes of regular (but not continuous) stirring, add 50g unsalted butter.
• Continue to stir occasionally for another 5 minutes or until the mixture had thickened to a custard like consistency.
• Pour into sterilised jars and seal.

Roasted Rhubarb

• Preheat the oven to 200℃ (180℃ fan,400℉, Gas 6)
• Chop the rhubarb into finger sized lengths, then cut into batons lengthways.
• Place in an ovenproof dish together with the elderflower cordial.
• Sprinkle with the sugar, then roast for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is soft but still holds its shape. Allow to cool.

To Assemble

• Spoon a tablespoon of rhubarb curd onto each meringue.
• Decorate with fingers of roasted rhubarb.

Notes

It’s best to roast the rhubarb first, then when the oven is cool enough you can bake the meringues afterwards. You can prepare the meringues whilst the rhubarb is roasting and the curd whilst the meringues are baking.

Arrowroot has similar properties to cornflour, but has beneficial properties.

For a bit of added decadence, top the rhubarb curd with a teaspoon of clotted or whipped cream before adding the roasted rhubarb.

Please note: calories are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition

Calories: 267kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 31mg | Potassium: 277mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 45g | Vitamin A: 330IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Please take a photo and mention @choclette8 or tag #tinandthyme on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

Sharing

I’m sending this recipe for chocolate pavlova to Javelin Warrior’s Made with Love Mondays. Anything submitted must be made entirely from scratch.

As rhubarb is still in season, I’m also entering the roasted rhubarb and rhubarb curd elements into Simple and in Season with Ren Behan.

The rhubarb was home grown, making this summery dessert inexpensive. So it fits in nicely to the Credit Crunch Munch remit with Fab Food 4 All. This month’s event is hosted by Anneli of Delicieux.

The inclusion of elderflower cordial into the rhubarb curd makes the recipe eligible for Herbs on Saturday with Karen over at Lavender and Lovage. I made the it with my own fair hands, using foraged elderflowers after all.

These mini chocolate pavlovas are perfect for al fresco eating in the lovely weather we’re currently experiencing. I am thus submitting these to a new monthly blogging challenge from Delicieux and Chez Foti, Four Seasons Food. This month’s theme is Picnic food and Outdoor Nibbles.

Calendar Cakes is all about jam this month. Luckily, fruit curds are included, so my rhubarb and elderflower curd is winging it’s way to DollyBakes. This challenge is co-hosted by Laura Loves Cakes. 

I forgot to check what the letter is for Alpha Bakes this month, but have just done so and fortuitously it is R. So I’m entering my R for a Rhubarb dessert to The More Than Occasional Baker who is hosting this month.