Lemon & Raspberry Pavlova

 

 

You might think because you are a smaller family, you need to wait until you have company over to be able to enjoy a delicious dessert.  You couldn't be any more wrong!  

I decided to downsize my pavlova recipe so that it makes only three delicious servings.  This is THE perfect summer dessert! 

 

 

I can remember the first time I ever had Pavlova. It was at a get-together with a few friends from church in Meaford, Ontario, some twenty five years ago.  One of the ladies brought Pavlova.

I had never heard of Pavlova before in my life and was intrigued by this interesting sounding dessert. It was love at first bite!!

 

 

I remember thinking that such a beautiful dessert must be complicated to make.  With its meringue base, crisp and billowy soft, and then the filling of cream and fruit.

Surely it was not easy to make. I was totally wrong. Pavlova has to be one of the easiest desserts out there! If you can work an electric hand mixer, you can make Pavlova!

 

 

And this version is fabulously filled with whipped cream,  swirled with sweet/tart lemon curd, topped with fresh berries and finished off with candied almonds.

None of it complicated or difficult to execute.  All of it delicious.

 

 

Plus the Pavlova base itself is wonderfully gluten-free!  You will need two large free range egg whites to begin with.

These get beaten together with some finely granulated sugar.  In the UK, it is called caster sugar.  You need to use finely granulated sugar because it melts into the egg whites better and gives you a smooth finish.

 

 

Coarse sugar would give you a gritty finish.  The whites get beaten until they start to softly mound and then you start beating in half the sugar.  Just until they get stiff and glossy.

The remainder of the sugar then gets beaten in slowly and then you add some cornstarch and a bit of white vinegar.  It is this that gives your meringue base that soft marshmallow like interior.

 

 

It is important that you use white vinegar. Not cider vinegar, or any other kind. You don't want to be using a vinegar that will change the color of your meringue.

Or the flavor either.  White is the most benign of the vinegars, and does the best job.

 

 

You will need to trace a circle on a piece of parchment paper. I do this with a pencil and then flip the paper over so that the graphite is on the bottom, just incase it rubs off on the meringue. 

I don't know if it really would or not. I have just never been willing to take the chance.

This is to act as a guide for shaping your circle. I have heard of people using the outer ring of a spring form pan to shape their circle, but that's really not necessary in my opinion .  

 

 

Its not that hard to fill in the circle you have drawn on the paper in order to get the perfect round. Why dirty a dish when you don't have to.  Yes, I am that lazy.

You will want to mound the meringue up more around the edges to shape a rim, so that you have a little bowl in the center to hold your filling when it is baked. The mounding and shaping is very easy to do with a metal spoon,

 

 

Just mound your egg white mixture in the center of your circle and then use the back of a metal spoon to spread it out to the edges. Shaping it as you go. 

Easy peasy.  You then bake it in a slow oven for an hour until it is nice and crisp on the outside and soft and mallow-like on the inside. You cannot rush this process.

 

 

One hour at 260*F will give you the perfect base.  Only lightly colored, perfectly crisp with the proper center. 

If you try to rush it at a higher temperature you will not get a correct result. Don't even try. Its called chemistry.

 

 

Once your meringue base has baked and cooled you can fill it. For this version I chose to fill it with lightly sweetened whipped cream, which has a good lemon curd rippled through it.

Buy the best curd that you can and fork it through to loosen it a bit, then spoon little dollops over the top of the cream and use the end of a teaspoon or a wooden skewer to ripple it through.  

 

 

Don't over mix it. You don't want the curd to be completely amalgamated into the cream. You want to be able to see it.  That's a part of the charm of this dessert.

You want people to ooh and ahh as soon as they spy the lemon in it.  That's probably the hardest part, rippling in the lemon.  With some fresh raspberries scattered over top and those candied almonds, this makes for a pretty simple and delicious dessert.

 

 

If you are not overly fond of lemon and raspberries (as if!) I have a few other versions of pavlova you can try out. Be warned however, they are the full recipes.

You can find a delicious Salted Caramel Pavlova  here.  It really has the wow factor. You could downsize it using the measurements for this one I am sharing today, and then just use bottled caramel and chocolate sauces.

I also have an Apple and Blackberry Crumble Pavlova here which is exceedingly delicious! Very autumnal!

 

This was so wonderful.  All of the flavors and textures blended beautifully. It was so delicious. I had to call my sister to come over and get the rest because I was worried I would accidentally inhale the whole thing. 

Yes, I am a glutton. I have never been able to find a cure for that ailment. Me just likes food.

In any case, I do hope you will give it a delicious go!  You won't regret it!  Quick, easy and incredibly tasty!

 

Lemon & Raspberry Pavlova

Yield: 3

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

This is such a simple dish to make and everyone loves it. I have downsized my regular recipe to make just 3 lovely servings. Crisp marshmallow filled meringue base, topped with lemon rippled whipped cream, fresh raspberries and candied almonds. What's not to like?

Ingredients

For the base:

• 2 large free range egg whites
• 1/2 cup (95g) fine granulated sugar ( castor sugar)
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp white vinegar

To top:

• 3/4 cup (180ml) heavy cream
• 1 tsp fine granulated sugar
• 6 tsp good lemon curd
• a handful of fresh raspberries, cleaned and rinsed

For the candied almonds:

• 1 TBS fine granulated sugar
• 3 TBS flaked almonds

Instructions

1. Make the base first.  Preheat the oven to 260*F/130*C/  Trace a 4 inch circle onto a piece of parchment paper you have placed on a baking sheet.
2. Mix 1/2 TBS of the sugar together with the cornstarch.  Set aside.
3. Place the egg whites into a clean, grease free glass or metal bowl.  Beat with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add half of the sugar and continue to beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.  Continue to beat while slowly adding the remaining sugar.  Stir in the cornstarch/sugar mixture, and vinegar, and beat for one further minute. 
4. Spoon the meringue mixture onto the circle on the baking paper, spreading it out with a metal spoon and making it somewhat shallow in the center with deeper sides around the edges.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. It should then be crisp on the outside and marshmallow-like inside.  Leave to cool completely on the baking tray.
6. To make the candied almonds, place them into a heavy based skillet along with the sugar.  Cook and heat over medium high heat until the sugar begins to melt, shake to coat the almonds. Do not allow the sugar to burn.  Remove from the heat and shake the almonds onto a plate. You may need to break them apart with two forks.  Leave to cool completely.
7. When you are ready to serve the pavlova, whip the cream together with the sugar until it forms soft dollops.  Place your meringue onto a serving plate. Spoon the whipped cream into the center. 
8. Make 6 dollops evenly spaced over the top of the cream with the lemon curd.  Using the narrow end of a teaspoon, or a wooden skewer, swirl it through the whipped cream without completely stirring it in. You want rivulets of lemon curd showing. 
9. Scatter the berries on top and then sprinkle the candied almonds over everything. 
10. Break apart to serve.  Delicious!

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