Pavlova Miniatures
Servings: 9-10
Time: 90 minutes
Difficulty: Medium
Meringue based dessert topped with whipped cream, jelly and fresh fruits...so delicious.....
Yesterday, I had been for lunch at a restaurant and they had Pavlova as one of the many options for dessert. Pavlova is meringue based dessert having delicate but crisp crust and soft marshmellowy center. It is typically served by decorating the top with whipped cream and fresh fruits like Strawberries, Kiwi, Passion Fruits etc. This dessert is said to be created first either in Australia or New Zealand. After having tasted this lovely dessert, I decided trying to recreate it.
The base of Pavlova is made by slow baking the firmly beaten egg whites and then garnishing it with whipped cream, fruits crush and fresh fruits.
Baked Meringue Bases, Whipped Cream and Fresh Fruits
Ingredients
– Egg Whites – 4 (make sure not even a drop of egg yolk is mixed)
– White Sugar – 225 gms (finely ground)
– Cornflour – 2 tsp
– White Vinegar – 2 tsp (you can substitute it with lemon juice)
– Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp
– Whipping Cream – 250 ml
– Kiwi Fruit – 2 nos.
– Peach – 1 no.
– Strawberries – 10-12
– Fruit Crush – 3/4 cup (I used Mala’s Very Berry crush)
Makes 9 Pavlova miniatures of 4 inch diameter
Directions
Pre-heat the oven at 150ºC
In a sufficiently big bowl take egg whites and beat until they hold firm peaks but are not stiff
Gently add sugar, one spoon at a time while beating continuously. Make sure that all the sugar is dissolved completely and then beat further until you get snowy and shiny meringue but it is not dry. (Ensure not to over beat the meringue else egg whites loose volume and deflate when folded with other ingredients)
Sprinkle cornflour, vinegar and vanilla essence on top and gently fold in the meringue to combine
In the baking tray, keep the silicone baking sheet (alternatively you can use baking sheet lined with parchment paper)
Spoon the meringue on the baking sheet and spread in approximately 4 inch diameter circles with 1 inch spacing between them. Try to make the rim little higher than the center so that it can hold whipped cream and fruits later (unfortunately, my meringues were not indented in center. You can use backside of the spoon to make indentation in center)
Put the baking tray in the oven, reduce the temperature to 130 degrees and bake for around 50 minutes or until the surface is slightly light brown and is hard if touched
Switch off the oven, keep the oven door slightly open and allow it to cool inside the oven itself for around 30 minutes.
Once cooled, transfer to wire rack
Meanwhile, peel and cut the fruits
In a cold vessel, take whipping cream and beat it until soft peaks are formed. (Add 1 tbsp sugar while beating if whipping cream is unsweetened)
While assembling the Pavlova, put a dollop of whipped cream on the baked meringue based and smooth it from all the sides. Place a spoonful of fruit crush and then place cut fruits on top
Enjoy the tasty Pavlova
Tip: If you are not assembling the Pavlovas immediately, baked meringue bases can be stored in airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days