Perfectly pink meringue, sweet raspberry curd, fresh raspberries and tart creme fraiche are a wonderful marriage of texture and flavour in these little pavlovas. I have opted to make 6 mini pavlovas, however one large pavlova would work just and well and be equally delicious.
Serves 6
For the raspberry curd
6 oz raspberries (one carton)
2 egg yolks (save the whites for the meringue)
4 oz butter (1 stick)
6 oz Sugar
pinch of salt
In a pan over medium heat, whisk the egg yolks a little and quickly add all the other ingredients. Keep whisking until the butter and sugar is melted, keep this mixture moving or the eggs will scramble. Cook for another 8 minutes, stirring intermittently until the curd has thickened and coats the back of a spoon.
Pass the curd through a sieve to rid it of the raspberry seeds, and store in a little jar. The curd can be kept in an air tight container in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
For the meringues
2 egg whites
2 oz sugar
2 oz sieved icing / confectioners sugar
Red or pink food colour
Heat the oven to 180℉.
Whisk the egg whites and a teeny tiny amount of the food colouring until the whites are stiff enough that they won’t fall if the bowl is turned upside down. Gently fold in the sugars.
Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or a double layer of parchment paper brushed with a little oil.
The meringue can either be spooned out with an ice cream scoop or piped. You want to create a little indent in the centre either way.
For 6 mini pavlovas, I baked them for 1 hour, turned the heat off and left them in the oven for an additional 15- 20 minutes. A larger meringue will obviously take longer, set the timer for 1 hour 30 minutes and then check. If the tops are dry and crisp but the underneath still wet, carefully flip the meringues over, turn the oven off and leave, check every 10 -15 minutes. I like my meringues to have a little give in the centre.
Remove and let cool. These can be stored in an air tight container for 2-3 days.
Cream Topping
150ml/ 1/2 cup Heavy cream
75 ml / scant 1/3 cup Creme fraiche
Lightly whip the heavy cream and then stir in the creme fraiche. Set aside.
Assembling the pavlova
6oz fresh raspberries
1 oz dark chocolate
I like to crack the top of my meringues before filling them. It creates a lovely little nest to house the mounds of filling.
Spoon 2 tsp of the raspberry curd into the meringue nest, layer on a generous 2 tbsp of the cream, top with some fresh berries and grate on a little chocolate to garnish.
Enjoy, F.
FlorrieMarie 