Mini Pavlovas with Lemon Curd and Raspberries
These mini pavlovas with lemon curd and fresh raspberries are a delightful and easy-to-make dessert that is sure to impress your guests.
Ingredients
Mini pavlovas:
- 4 egg whites - at room temperature
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup superfine (caster) sugar - 200 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
Lemon Curd:
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup granulated sugar - 100 grams
- 1½ tablespoons Lemon zest
- ⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes - 85 grams
Additional toppings:
- Fresh raspberries - for garnish
- Fresh mint leaves - for garnish
Instructions
Make the Meringue:
- Wipe your mixing bowl and whisk with vinegar or lemon juice to make sure there are no traces of fat left on them.
- Separate the eggs into the clean mixing bowl. If any pieces of yolks get into the whites, discard them. Let the egg whites come to the room temperature, about 1 hour. We will use the egg yolks for lemon curd later.
- If you don't have superfine sugar, you can pulse granulated sugar in a food processor or blender a few times until the texture is super fine.
- Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add cream of tartar and a pinch of salt to the egg whites and using your stand mixer, beat on medium high for about 1 minute until soft peaks form.
- Slowly add the sugar, one or two tablespoon at a time, while continuing to beat the egg whites. If there are sugar granules stuck to the side of the bowl, scrape it with a spatula to make sure there aren't any pieces of sugar undissolved. When all the sugar is added, continue beating on high speed for about 8-10 minutes, until glossy and white and stiff peaks form. It means when you hold the whisk up, the meringue keeps its shape. Rub some of the meringue between your fingers to check if the sugar is dissolved, if it feels gritty you should beat it more. Continue checking every couple of minutes.
- Fold in the vanilla extract and lemon juice, followed by cornstarch.
- Pipe the meringue into 2.5 - 3 inch nests. You can use a star shaped piping tip. You can also spoon the meringue directly onto the parchment paper and form into 3 inch nests.
- Use an offset spatula or a small spoon to create a small indentation in the center of each nest.
- Place the meringue in the preheated oven and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 220°F. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Then turn off the oven and let the pavlova cool down in the oven (door closed) for 30 minutes. They will be crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
- Take the pavlovas out of the oven and let them cool down.
Lemon Curd:
- I suggest not using a metal pan for lemon curd because the lemon acidity reacts with the metal and creates a metallic taste.
- Add the lemon zest and sugar into a saucepan and massage the sugar for about a minute to release the lemon oils. This will maximize the lemony flavors!
- Add in the egg yolks and whisk until combined and a bit lighter in color. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Place the sauce pan on low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and starts to bubble, about 10 minutes.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and add in the cubed butter. Whisk until combined and smooth. Strain the lemon curd into a glass jar or a bowl. Cover the top directly with plastic wrap and refrigerate to cool down.
Assembly:
- Once the lemon curd has cooled down, whisk it slightly to create a silky smooth texture.
- Top each mini pavlova with about a tablespoon of lemon curd and one or two raspberries. Add a fresh mint leaf to garnish.
Notes
Tips:
- I suggest to avoid making pavlova on rainy days if possible. Humidity may cause the pavlova to collapse.
- Make sure all the sugar is dissolved in meringue before baking it.
- All the tools and bowls must be super clean and free of any traces of fat.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!