Modern Holiday Showstopper

Anna Pavlova was known as the “incomparable” ballerina, captivating audiences not just in her homeland of Russia but across the entire world at the turn of the 20th century. It’s no wonder, then, that chefs at the time immortalized her in recipes, including frogs’ legs à la Pavlova in France, Pavlova ice cream in the United States, and most famously, the glamorous meringue, whipped cream, and fruit confection that’s simply called pavlova.

Unlike meringue cookies, which are uniformly dry and crunchy throughout, the meringue for pavlova (which can be baked in a single large round or smaller individual disks) offers a range of textures: a crisp outer shell; a tender, marshmallowy interior; and a pleasant chew where the two textures meet. The meringue’s sweetness is balanced by softly whipped cream and tart fresh fruit, which makes for a gorgeous jumble of flavors and textures—and a lightness that is ideal at the end of a rich meal.

Because of its dramatic appearance, you might think that pavlova is a real project. But you’d be wrong: It calls for only a handful of ingredients, and the meringue base can be baked in advance, leaving only cream to be whipped and fruit topping to be prepped before serving. Best of all, pavlova’s unfussiness is part of its allure. More often than not, its shape is rustic and a few cracks are unavoidable, but there’s beauty in these imperfections.

That said, there is one part