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Dessert, Inexpensive, July 4th, Vegetarian

Personal Pavlovas

Pavlovas are delicious individual meringue desserts with a crisp crust and soft inside topped with fresh berries and homemade whipped cream.

Use fresh berries.

Pavlova originated in New Zealand and was named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova.

EQUIPMENT: coffee or spice grinder, immersion blender, rubber spatula, fish flipper

Personal Pavlovas

Recipe by Craig Stockel Difficulty: Medium
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

30

minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 large egg whites, room temperature*

  • 1 cup cane sugar

  • 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

  • 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice

  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch

  • homemade whipped cream**

  • fresh berries

  • lemon curd (optional)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Grind sugar to a fine powder using a coffee or spice grinder.
  • Use immersion blender, on high, moving it up and down, to beat egg whites until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
  • Add sugar 1/2 cup at a time, beat for 30 seconds after each addition.
  • Continue beating until glossy stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. The peaks should be stiff enough that you can hold the blender upright and the peaks won’t move.
  • Add the vanilla extract and beat until very stiff.
  • Use a rubber spatula to fold in lemon juice and cornstarch.
  • Divide mixture into four equal portions. Spoon portions onto parchment lined sheet. Make sure edges are tall and there is a well in the center to hold toppings.
  • Place in oven and reduce heat to 200°F. You can make whipped cream and optional lemon curd at this time.
  • Bake until the pavlovas are firm and dry, about 90 minutes. Rotate baking sheet if you see some spots browning. Don’t open oven anymore than necessary because it will cool down the temperature too quickly.
  • Turn off oven and let pavlovas cool inside oven.
  • When pavlovas are cool, use a fish flipper to gently remove them from parchment paper and place on individual plates.
  • Top with whipped cream and berries.

Notes

  • *Use the yolks for lemon curd or zabaglione.
  • **Pour 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract into a chilled Bowl. Use immersion blender, moving it up and down, for about 30 seconds to whip cream. Take care not to over wip. It happens fast.