Gluten-free/ Sweets

Very Berry Pavlovas

very berry pavlovas

This week I’m (virtually) cooking with six fellow bloggers under the motto “Seasonal Cooking & Baking” for you. Each day another lovely lady has shared a mouthwatering recipe with fruits or vegetables that are currently in season. Since most berries are already in season (yay!), I thought that I would create individual-sized Very Berry Pavlovas for you.

Pavlovas are heavenly, airy treats. The meringue is crispy on the outside and perfectly mallow in the center. Layered with whipped cream with a hint of vanilla and topped with a tart raspberry sauce, this dessert has the perfect contrasting textures and flavors.

It is such a lovely and light summer dessert and looks very fancy when you have guests over. The great thing is that everything can be prepared in advance and then quickly assembled when you are ready to serve them. Or you could even let your guests create their own pavlovas. That would be a nice idea to have a “Build-your-Own-Pavlova-Bar”.

The nice thing about this dessert is that you customize to your preferences and top it up with whatever is in season at the moment. There is already a delicious wintery, Christmas version on my mind, but you’ll have to wait for that one! :)

very berry pavlovas very berry pavlovas very berry pavlovas

Meringue is a tricky thing to master. At least that is what I thought until learned through some research and a lot of trial and error that there are some useful steps that make it possible to achieve the perfect meringue every time.

My top 5 tips for making perfect meringue

  • Wipe your kitchen equipment with lemon juice. Before you start making your meringue, make sure your equipment is clean and completely grease-free, as this can prevent the egg whites from getting stiff. Take a bit of lemon juice to wipe your mixing bowl and whisk attachment. 
  • Avoid getting any egg yolks into your egg whites. Be careful when separating the eggs and separate them one at a time. If you get the tiniest bit of yolk to your egg whites, you will have to start again.
  • Add cream of tartar to prevent overbeating. It will act as a stabilizer and make things easier for you. 
  • Add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, once the egg whites have reached the soft peak stage. The sugar should be added slowly as this will prevent the meringue from weeping later. 
  • Make sure that the sugar is dissolved. If you are unsure if your meringue is ready to be baked, take a bit of the mixture and rub it between your fingers. If you can still feel sugar granules, then beat it for a few more minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
5 from 6 votes
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Very Berry Pavlovas

Course Dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 8 people
Author Vicki Scharer - Bowsessed

Ingredients

For the meringue

  • 4 egg whites (organic)
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
  • 200 g caster sugar (organic)

For the raspberry sauce

  • 150 g frozen raspberries thawed (organic)
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar (organic)

For the topping

  • 100 ml heavy cream (organic)
  • 10 g vanilla sugar
  • mix of fresh berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries)
  • mint leaves for garnish

Instructions

For the meringue:

  1. Preheat oven to 120°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

  2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt and cream of tartar until they start forming soft peaks. Gradually add the caster sugar one tablespoon at a time. Turn the mixer to high speed and beat the mixture for a few minutes, until it is shiny and stiff peaks start to form. Get a bit of the mixture and rub it between your fingers to see if your meringue is ready. If you can still feel sugar granules, then beat it a little longer until the grains are all dissolved.

  3. Spoon your mixture onto your prepared baking tray, into not so perfect circles (about 10 cm in diameter and 2-3 heaped tablespoons of meringue per pavlova) Use a spoon to make an indentation in the middle of each meringue.

  4. Bake the meringue for 15 minutes at 120°C, then reduce the temperature to 100°C and bake for another 45 minutes.

  5. After 45 minutes turn off the oven, open the door and let your meringues cool in the oven for another hour. The meringues are ready when they come away from the parchment paper without sticking at the bottom.

For the raspberry sauce:

  1. Puree the thawed raspberries in a blender. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve and mix in the icing sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use.

For garnish:

  1. Whip your heavy cream with the vanilla sugar, until stiff peaks form. Keep your cream refrigerated until you are ready to assemble.

  2. To assemble your pavlovas, place a meringue on a plate, layer with a dollop of whipped cream, followed by a tablespoon of raspberry sauce and top it off with fresh berries and a mint leaf.

Recipe Notes

Serve your pavlovas immediately. The meringue will get soggy if you assemble them in advance. The meringue shells, however, can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container. The raspberry sauce and whipped cream can also be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge.

very berry pavlovas very berry pavlovas

Check out all of the amazing recipes from this week’s “Seasonal Cooking & Baking”:

Monday: Vienna Fashion Waltz

Tuesday: DedicatedTo

Wednesday: Yellowgirl

Thursday: Pixi mit Milch

Friday: moi!

Saturday: Mrs Flury

Sunday: Food Freshion

Xo Vicki

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15 Comments

  • Reply
    Chrissie
    May 30, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    5 stars
    You are so talented! These Pavlovas are masterpieces

    • Reply
      Vicki
      May 31, 2015 at 9:44 pm

      Aw thank you! <3

  • Reply
    Dolce Petite
    June 1, 2015 at 8:36 am

    5 stars
    Oh god. I love anything meringue. Great job! :)

    • Reply
      Vicki
      June 9, 2015 at 4:17 pm

      Me too! :) thanks!

  • Reply
    Tina
    June 1, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    WOW – so schöne Fotos. Dein Blog ist überhaupt der Wahnsinn. Bin so froh, dass ich bei eurem Projekt dabei war und somit deinen Blog entdecken durfte. Werde bestimmt mal eines deiner leckeren Rezepte Nachbauern :-).

    LG
    Tina

    • Reply
      Vicki
      June 1, 2015 at 9:02 pm

      Oh, vielen Dank liebe Tina für deine lieben Worte und das tolle Kompliment! Das kann aber nur zurückgeben, finde deinen Blog nämlich ganz toll!
      Freue mich wenn ich dich inspirieren konnte! :)

      Alles Liebe, Vicki

  • Reply
    {bloggerreihe} saisonales kochen. - Dedicated to
    June 1, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    […] Freitag: Bowsessed […]

  • Reply
    Michi
    June 8, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    5 stars
    Liebe Vicki,

    habe gerade mit einer lieben Kollegin über deinen Blog gesprochen und bei der Gelegenheit selbst gleich wieder reingesehen. Wow!! Wahnsinnig tolle Bilder und Beschreibungen – mir läuft das Wasser im Mund zusammen!!

    Alles Liebe,
    Michi

    • Reply
      Vicki
      June 9, 2015 at 4:15 pm

      Danke liebste Michi! Ich hoffe wir sehen uns bald wieder!
      Xo Vicki

  • Reply
    Kim
    June 9, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    Das schaut echt lecker aus und das GIF finde ich toll :D

    • Reply
      Vicki
      June 9, 2015 at 4:14 pm

      Danke Kim! :) Die kleinen Wölkchen schmecken einfach himmlisch :D

      • Reply
        Kim
        June 14, 2015 at 5:20 pm

        In der Küche bin ich leider nicht so begabt und mittlerweile backe ich nur mehr Low Carb. Alles andere haben andere besser drauf als ich! Aber ich schaue mir sehr gerne deine Bilder an! :)

        • Reply
          Vicki
          June 26, 2015 at 12:27 am

          Was nicht ist kann ja noch werden! ;) Leider fallen mir so schnell nicht sehr viele Low Carb Rezepte ein aber vielleicht ist ja in Zukunft hier das ein oder andere für dich dabei.
          Es freut mich wirklich sehr, dass dir meine Fotos gefallen! :)
          Xo Vicki

  • Reply
    Double Chocolate Raspberry Tarte - Bowsessed™
    July 20, 2015 at 12:45 am

    […] Notes Makes one ø 30cm tarte pan.Keep the tarte refrigerated. 3.3.3070 If you make this tarte and you don’t know what to do with your leftover egg whites you could try my Very Berry Pavlovas. […]

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