Chocolate Chocolate Pavlova with Ice Cream, Fresh Strawberries, and Melted Dark Chocolate {recipe}

So.

I made a pavlova.

And I might not need to make another dessert ever again.

Ever.

Pavlovas are a crisp meringue base typically spread with fluffy whipped cream, sometimes curd (I hate this word almost as much as I hate the word "moist"), and topped with fresh fruit. But really, is anything ever "typical" anymore? We've seen every component of a pavlova take on different variation, from coffee and chocolate flavored meringue bases, to other fluffy cream-like spreads and mousses, to every kind of fresh fruit, fruit compote, nuts, and even herbs.

As fitting as the original version is for summer, with the lightness of whipped cream and fresh fruit, we thought we'd swap out the whipped cream for the quintessential creamy dreaminess of summer, ice cream. What we've ended up with is something that tastes like a chocolate covered strawberry: two chocolate meringues with chocolate chunks inside, layered with chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and raspberry ice creams, fresh super summer-ripe strawberries, and warm, melted chocolate sauce.

This Chocolate Covered Strawberry Ice Cream Pavlova is the perfect kind of show-stopping dessert for a group or a party. Just have all the components separate and ready to assemble just before serving. The meringues can be baked days in advance if kept cool and dry, slice the berries, and you can even scoop the ice cream and keep the frozen as scoops until serving time.

But if the ice cream gets a little melty...

Notes and Resources

1. Best if egg whites are room temperature and the mixing bowl is very cold, and clean of any kind of oil/grease (like yolk or oil from your hands)
2. Vital Farms Eggs for the pavlova in these photos. They are available at Whole Foods Markets and slightly higher-end grocery stores.
3. Superfine sugar is different from confectioner's/powdered sugar (which contains cornstarch). If you can't find super-fine sugar, just make it at home by processing it in a food processor or blender for about three minutes on medium speed. Careful when you process it, it will give off a sugar "dust" that you don't want to inhale.
4. Unsweetened cocoa: use any  organic, unsweetened cocoa, not "hot cocoa mix" or whatever.
5. Balsamic vinegar: I have no idea what this is for. Color? Chemistry? But it's in there, and since it's so weird, it must be important.
6. I bought super-ripe, super-sweet (red inside!) strawberries from the farmers' market the morning of the day we served the Pavlova. If your berries are slightly underripe or not as sweet, slice them, toss them slices with a tablespoon of sugar in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for an hour or two. The strawberries will weep out their juices and make a sweet "sauce" with the sugar,; you can pour the entire thing over the ice cream for the final product.