9/19

Peach Pavlova with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Celebrate, Desserts, Dinner Parties, Food
By Emma Chapman

Easy make ahead dessertLast week Elsie and I hosted a housewarming party at the ABM studio. I know, we're super late! But we've only just recently felt like the house is *almost* finished. Many of our friends haven't even been over to see it in person, so we decided to throw a little party. Next week we'll be sharing more about the party, like how we decorated, activities we had prepared, food we served, cocktails we made, who was there, what they wore… all the juicy gossip.

Jk about that last part. Guys, it was just a fun little party. NBD. But, I think parties can be intimidating to host. So seeing how others do it is something I've always enjoyed. 

A Beautiful Mess front porch party A Beautiful Mess front porch party A Beautiful Mess front porch partyFancy make ahead dessertFor dessert I served peach pavlova parfaits with bourbon whipped cream. I know, sounds fancy and somewhat unusual, right? Maybe you've never had pavlova before. I certainly did not grow up knowing what this delicious dessert was. Here's the secret, it's simply sweetened fruit (think jam or pie filling), meringue, and whipped cream. Once I figured that out, I was all in. I grew up loving lemon meringue pie and absolutely anything topped with whipped cream. 

What I love most about this dish as a party treat is you can easily make the meringue the day before, the whipped cream earlier in the day, and the peaches just sit in a slow cooker until you are ready to serve. So you won't be stuck in the kitchen while guests are over having a good time. You can have a good time too. I think it's a host's duty to have the best time, if you can call that a duty. 🙂

How to make pavlova Peach Pavlova Parfait with Bourbon Whipped Cream, serves 6-8

6 egg whites
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cup sugar

24 oz frozen peaches
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon

For the meringue, beat together the egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt for about 3 minutes until the mixture begins to look white and frothy and starts to thicken. Slowly add the sugar while your mixer is running until you have added all the sugar and the mixture forms stiff peaks (see the photo above). You should mix for about 6 minutes total. 

How to make pavlovaPipe the meringue onto two baking sheets lined with a baking mat or parchment paper. You can do this using a pastry bag fitted with any tip you like (I used a star tip), or you can just dollop small amounts onto the baking sheet using a spoon. Just depends what kind of look you are going for. Bake at 250°F for 1 hour and 20 minutes, rotating the pans once during baking so they will bake evenly. 

Once they are done baking, allow to cool before you try to remove them from the baking sheets. Place in a large ziplock bag or other air tight container to store them (they will last for up to 3-4 days this way!).

For the peaches, simply place the thawed peaches (or mostly thawed is fine), brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 2 hours. Most slow cookers will keep food on a warming setting once the cook time is over, and this is perfect for a party so guests can assemble their dessert whenever they are ready. Remove peaches with a slotted spoon to remove excess liquid when you are ready to serve.

For the whipped cream, you probably don't need any directions. But, just in case, beat the heavy cream on high for a couple minutes until it begins to thicken. Slowly add the sugar and then bourbon. Once the mixture looks like, well, whipped cream, you're done. Store covered in the refrigerator if you don't need it right away, but it's best if you use the whipped cream the day it is made.

Peach pavlova parfaitThanks for letting me share my fancy-seeming but actually way-easy-to-make-ahead dessert! xo. Emma

Credits // Author: Emma Chapman, Photography: Janae Hardy and Emma Chapman. Photos edited with A Beautiful Mess actions.

38 Comments

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.