She Makes and Bakes
  • Home
  • About
  • Ramblings
  • Recipe Index
  • What We're Eating
  • High-Altitude Baking

Individual Pavlovas

7/2/2012

 
Picture
I'm not really sure where I came across a pavlova, but I know I've never tried one until I made them. Coincidentally, these are a great red, white, and blue dessert for those of you looking to show your spirit on Wednesday. I actually made these for Mother's Day, and I've been holding on to them.

If you've never heard of a pavlova, it's sweetened egg whites (meringue) that are baked low and slow to dry them out. These are topped with fresh whipped cream and berries. Traditionally, a giant pavlova is made and then cut into pieces like a pie. However, it tends to crack so these are a better option. Plus, I like individual desserts...better portion control. Unless you eat more than one! But no one does that, right? When I was in Ireland last week, I popped into a lot of bakeries. Most of them had these individual pavlovas in them, so I think they're more popular in Europe than they are in the States. Those Europeans know what they're doing because these are good!

The beauty of these is that they're light, simple, and can be made in advance. You can make the shells up to two weeks in advance, the whipped cream in advance (or use store bought), and then you just need to slice up the fruit, which you can do ahead of time, too. All you have to do is assemble them when you're ready to serve. Beautiful, easy, and light. A great dessert!

Individual Pavlova Recipe
Print this recipe
Serves 6

For the shells:
4 egg whites, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

For the whipped cream:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:
1 cup strawberries, hulled and diced
1/4 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Whip the egg whites, vanilla, and cream of tartar together with an electric mixer on medium low speed until foamy. Increase the mixer to medium high speed and whip to soft mounds, about 1 minute. Gradually add in 1 cup of the sugar while the mixer is running. Beat the whites until they are glossy and form stiff peaks, about 1-3 minutes.

Place a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet. Scoop 1/2 cup of the whites onto the baking sheet and form into nests using the back of a spoon. Or fill a large Ziploc bag with the meringue, cut off the corner, and pipe the meringue into nests on the baking sheet. You'll want to make an indentation in the middle so you can fit more whipped cream and berries in it. Make 6 of these, and space them about 1 inch apart. Bake the meringues until they have smooth and dry exteriors, about 1.5 hours. Turn the oven off and let them sit in the oven for about 2 hours (I let mine sit in there overnight).

Toss the cut strawberries with the 1 tablespoon sugar.

To make the whipped cream, whip the cream, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on high onto soft peaks form.

Place the pavlovas on a serving plate(s), fill the nests with whipped cream, and top with the berries. Serve immediately.

You can make the pavlovas ahead of time and store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. You also can add or substitute other fruits, such as cherries, peaches, kiwi, raspberries, etc.  

Source: The America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book 
Picture
Elizabeth link
7/3/2012 12:09:53 am

The fruit on top looks amazing!

ila(MyWayToCook) link
7/3/2012 03:18:31 am

Very nice recipe ...look of the dish is really divine...

aimee link
7/4/2012 11:22:57 pm

We love pavlovas and yours are adorable! My husband's grandmother actually danced at the home of Anna Pavlova so we are a bit partial to them!

kale link
7/5/2012 06:11:02 am

Such a good idea to make individual servings! Very pretty. :)

Kristi Rimkus link
7/6/2012 01:19:19 am

They kind of sound like meringue cookies? You're right, they would make a colorful treat for the 4th. Have a good weekend. :)

Jenny link
7/6/2012 03:44:40 am

I LOVE making pavlovas. Do these individual ones have a chewy center, or are they crisp all the way through?

She Makes and Bakes
7/7/2012 05:12:34 am

These are chewy in the center, but I made them when it was humid, so that could have something to do with it...

shannon link
7/6/2012 06:59:37 am

i absolutely LOVE pavlovas in the summer, because they're so light and refreshing; it's like the perfect summer dessert! the idea of individual ones is so adorable; i have to try this. such a cute idea!

Anita at Hungry Couple link
7/8/2012 02:44:24 pm

I agree. Individual pavlovas with fruit make great, light desserts!

Debra
7/16/2012 12:52:32 am

beautiful

kathy
5/20/2013 01:24:26 am

How would you adjust the pavlova recipe for high altitude? I live in Denver.

She Makes and Bakes
5/20/2013 01:23:44 pm

I live in Denver, too, and this recipe is what I used to make them.

monica
8/15/2014 06:18:49 am

Would you adjust this to make one big pavlova?

debra brindis link
11/5/2014 03:10:28 am

I live in Boulder, CO--same altitude as Denver. I made these meringues yesterday. Overall, they turned out really well--appearance good, did not collapse, etc. However, while they were puffy in appearance, they were a bit on the chewy side. Can you explain why and what I should do differently? I left them dry in the oven all day after baking them for the prescribed time/temp.


Comments are closed.

     Welcome!

    Cooking is fun and easy at high altitude, but baking can be frustrating. About 90% of my recipes work everywhere, but some are adjusted so us mountain dwellers can enjoy baked goods from scratch. I hope you find great recipes on here for your family, and I'll let you know if any are adjusted for high altitude. 

    Stay Updated!

    Add to your Reader:

    Get new posts delivered to your inbox:

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    Categories

    All
    Appetizers
    Bars
    Beef
    Bread
    Breakfast
    Brownies
    Cake
    Cheese
    Chicken
    Chocolate
    Cinnamon
    Cookies
    Crackers
    Cupcakes
    Dessert
    Do It Yourself
    Drinks
    Fruit
    Ground Beef
    High Altitude
    How To
    Ice Cream
    Italian
    Main Courses
    Mexican
    Muffins
    Oatmeal
    Pasta
    Pastry
    Pie
    Pizza
    Pork
    Project Pastry Queen
    Pumpkin
    Salad
    Sauces
    Side Dishes
    Snacks
    Soup
    Sourdough
    Steak
    Vegetables

    My featured recipes on NoshOnIt

    Some Good Reads!

    Annie's Eats
    Bake at 350
    Climbing Grier Mountain
    Confections of a Foodie Bride
    How Sweet It Is
    I Am Baker
    Macaroni and Chesecake
    Pinch of Yum
    Pink Parsley
    Smells Like Home
    Smitten Kitchen
    Sunny Side Up
    The Curvy Carrot
    The Marvelous Misadventures of a Foodie
    The Pioneer Woman Cooks
All content copyright 2012-2013 She Makes and Bakes.