Mini Pavlovas

Helga Glaesel de BlandingFebruary 9, 2018

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

Pavlovas are traditionally a meringue base, or nest, topped with whipped cream and berries. It’s said that the dessert was named after a Russian ballerina from the 1920’s called Anna Pavlova, and that it has its origin in either Australia or New Zeland.
We really love making this dessert, not only is it easy to make, but it is so delicious and not overly sweet. This is the basic recipe to make mini pavlovas, but you can try other variations, such as adding fine cookie crumbs to the meringue mixture, or adding flavoring to the whipped cream, like chocolate for example.

Tips:

To get your egg whites to rise properly, we recommend you clean your mixing bowl and whisk attachment with a kitchen towel and a little vinegar. That will get rid of any grease or residue and help your eggs whites whip nicely.
Don’t skip the corn starch! This will give your pavlova a delicious marshmallowy center.
When adding the sugar to the whipped meringue, do so by spoonfuls, that way you won’t knock all the air out of your meringue.
After all the sugar is added, keep beating until no granules are felt when you rub a small amount of meringue between your finger and thumb.
If you have an ice cream scoop, you can use it to scoop out meringue to form your pavlovas. Otherwise, use a small 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop out uniform mounds of meringue onto your baking sheet.
Use a spoon to form the crater in the center, which will hold the whipped cream once it has baked.
These bake at low temperature, for a long time: 275F for 1 hour. You’ll know they’re done when you tap them with a spoon and it sounds crisp and hollow.

This recipe is perfect to serve as dessert for a dinner party, or bruch. Of course, Valentine’s is around the corner and this would go well with a nice rosé.

Helga

Mini Pavlovas

Recipe adapted from Cupcake Jemma
Yields: 12-16 mini pavlovas

Ingredients:

4 large egg whites
190g of granulated sugar (about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 tsp corn starch
1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar (or 1 tsp white vinegar)
250ml heavy cream 35% (the kind used for whipping) (1 cup + 1 tbsp)
2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
Strawberries or other berries for garnish. We used a strawberry-mango combination.

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 275. Prepare a large baking sheet by lining with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cornstarch.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the egg whites and the cream of tartar or vinegar. Start on low speed, and once it has started to become foamy, turn the speed to high and whip until it looks more like a bubble bath and turns white. At this stage start to add the sugar mixture.
Add the sugar mixture by spoonfuls at a time, while you continue to mix. Once all the sugar is added, continue mixing for about 5 minutes, until all the sugar has dissolved. You can check by rubbing a small amount of meringue between your fingers, no granules should be felt and it should look white and glossy.
Spoon or scoop mounds of meringue onto your prepared baking sheet, about 1/3 cup of meringue for each pavlova. Leave a space between each mound. Then, using a spoon form a crater on each one; this will hold the whipped cream after it is baked.
Bake for 1 hour and then let them cool for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, whip your cream and confectioner’s sugar until soft peaks form. Add about 1 tablespoon on top of each pavlova.
Finally, garnish with berries or fruits of your choice.

Have you made this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture with the hashtag #thefoodieskitchen!

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