Mini Pavlovas with raspberries & strawberries

We made these mini-pavlovas on Valentine's Day, in part because they are gluten-free, so Izzie can be part of the dessert festivities, but also because they are so pretty - and really, not hard to make.  

I did some research about the name, being unsure whether they were officially a small pavlova or a mini-meringue and think these days it doesn't really matter.  There is a large meringue cake, especially popular in New Zealand and Australia that is moister in the middle, but these meringues are small and bake up crispy and crunchy and light as a feather.  

The recipe is from Allrecipes, used primarily for guidance on the amount of sugar, which is critical, in both the amount and remembering to add the sugar teaspoon by teaspoon, waiting each time for the sugar to melt into the egg white batter.  I had forgotten to buy heavy cream, so each pavlova got a tiny squirt of whipped cream from a can, which was leftover from a birthday party:)  



Mini-Pavlovas with fresh berries & cream


4 extra-large egg whites
1 1/4 cups white, granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

The topping:
1 pint heavy cream, gently whipped
fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries or blueberries
confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 250F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In mixer bowl, whip egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the sugar, a teaspoon at a time, letting the sugar be absorbed into the whites before adding more sugar.  I know it's tedious, but it's a critical step to follow.

Once all the sugar has been added, fold in the vanilla, lemon juice, and cornstarch and whip gently.

You can either use a large spoon to form small rounds of meringue, or a pastry bag, which is what I used.  I could only find my rose tip nozzle, so it came out more fluted than usual.

Bake for one hour, making sure the meringues are firm, then cool on a cooling rack.

To assemble:  smooth a spoonful of whipped cream in the center of the meringue, then add the berries in a pleasing arrangement , then sprinkle with more confectioner's sugar - not too much, just enough to look fancy.

This made 12 small Pavlovas.   

Enjoy!