Pavlova Recipe and First Impressions

I have never made pavlovas before now. That’s shocking to me because they’re so good and I have tried the dessert multiple times. I stay away from baking meringue because of the amount of sugar it takes to make. Putting that aside, this is a really beautiful dessert. The dessert itself, if you don’t know, is a meringue base with a little indent for whipped cream and berries. I have made meringue before and it’s SO FUN. It is crisp on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside. Not only did I make pavlova for the first time, but I also added some lemon curd, piped whipped cream, and some blueberries. Here is the recipe I used and my thoughts.

Meringue:

Whipped Cream:

• 1 1/2 c heavy cream *cold
• 2 tbsp maple syrup

Lemon Curd:

• 1/2 c lemon juice
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 c sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp butter

Fruit:

• 4-5 c fresh fruit, I used blueberries

Directions:

Pavlovas

1. Preheat the oven to 225 and make sure everything is set up for each step. Pavlovas require air to make them light, waiting too long means they might be loose to work with. Line a baking tray with parchment and have a spatula ready.
2. Into the stand mixer beat the 6 egg whites until soft peaks form. Then, not shutting off the mixer, add sugar. I went about 1/3 cup at a time until all of the sugar was used. It should be glossy when you turn off your mixer. You can check this by holding the bowl over your head, that is how stiff it should be. Then fold in the mixture of vanilla and lemon. Impression: I thought folding in two seperate liquids was weird so I mixed them together in a little bowl and then folded them in. This is where I added almond and lemon extract.
3. Lastly, fold in the cornstarch and fill a piping bag with that mixture. Impression: I like to get a tall cup and put the piping bag inside. Then I fold the opening over the cup and fill the bag. This makes it so I am able to use the whole batch while not getting too messy in the process.
4. Pipe them on the baking tray by first going around in a circle, building up, and then using the back of a spoon to indent it better. Impression: The first one I did was a bit messy so I made sure to measure the rest 3 inches apart and far away from each other. If you aren’t careful they will expand slightly and merge together in the oven.
5. Cook for an 1hr and 15 min. Then turn the oven off while keeping the door closed. Impression: Pavlovas are very delicate so that means no just opening the oven door. They are similar to eclairs in that way, so the more time you can let them sit in there the better. This helps them dry and and hold up for the lemon curd. I leave them in for 30 min. and little by little open the door till fully open. Finally, I transfer them to the counter.
6. I love making my fast recipe of lemon curd. It doesn’t take a bunch of fancy steps and I do that while my pavlovas are baking. They take so long! But this recipe is the opposite.

Lemon Curd

1. In a pan on medium heat, whisk lemon juice, sugar, and zest.
2. Add eggs, salt, and butter then stir well till combined.
3. Whisk constantly to make sure the mixture doesn’t curdle and then remove from heat. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. You may strain it if you’d like before letting the curd set in the fridge.
5. Impression: for this recipe I only used 1/4 c of sugar and it still worked. The purpose was to combat how sweet the meringue was. You can totally use the full amount!

Assembly

1. First wash your fresh fruit, get out the lemon curd and whipped cream, and seperate the pavlovas so you can assemble them. The whipped cream should go in a piping bag and the lemon curd should be fully set and cold.
2. I spread on the lemon curd in that little indent before piping some whipped cream on top to fully cover the lemon curd. Then I added berries and served.
3. I forgot to take pictures when they were fully done because we all immediately dug in! Impression: the meringue is super sweet so having something as tart as lemon curd makes the dessert more balanced. I love the fresh berries and feel like this is the ultimate dessert for a tart and sweet bite.