Individual Pavlovas with Strawberries, Blueberries, and Peaches
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 12, 2011
Yield
Serves 12
Ingredients
Meringues
4 large egg whites (about ½ cup), at room temperature¼ teaspoon cream of tartar 1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar ¾ teaspoon vanilla extractFruit
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) blueberries 3 medium peaches, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices (about 2 cups)1 tablespoon sugarWhipped Cream
3 cups (1 ½ pints) heavy cream, chilledBefore You Begin
Avoid making pavlovas on humid days when preventing the meringue from becoming sticky and soft will be nearly impossible. The meringue shells keep, covered, in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, allowing you to serve just as many as you need the day you make them; adjust the amounts of fruit and whipped cream accordingly.
Instructions
- Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium-low speed until they are opaque and frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and, watching carefully, beat the egg whites until they are white, thick, voluminous, and the consistency of shaving cream, about 90 seconds. Slowly sprinkle in ½ cup of the sugar and then the vanilla and continue to beat until incorporated, about 60 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sprinkle in the remaining ½ cup sugar and fold in just until incorporated. Using a ¼-cup dry meas-uring cup and a soupspoon, place 6 heaping ¼-cup dollops of meringue about 1 inch apart on each sheet. Gently press the back of the soupspoon into the center of the mounds to create hollows (see the illustration below). Bake for 1½ hours or until the meringues have smooth, dry, and firm exteriors. Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool in the oven for several hours. Once cool, store the meringues in an airtight container, where they will keep for a couple of weeks, until ready to use.
- FOR THE FRUIT Combine strawberries and blueberries in a large colander and gently rinse (taking care not to bruise them); spread the berries on a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently pat dry with additional paper towels. Transfer the fruit to a medium bowl and add peaches. Sprinkle sugar over fruit and, using a rubber spatula, stir gently to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until the fruit begins to exude its juices, about 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, beat the cream in a chilled bowl of an electric mixer on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium; continue beating until the beaters leave a trail, about 30 seconds more. Increase the speed to high; continue beating until the cream is smooth, thick, and nearly doubled in volume, about 20 seconds for soft peaks. If necessary, finish beating by hand to adjust consistency.
- Place a meringue shell on a dessert plate. Top with ½ cup whipped cream. Spoon ½ cup fruit over the whipped cream, allowing some fruit to fall onto the plate. Repeat with the remaining meringue shells, whipped cream, and fruit. Serve immediately.
for the meringues
for the whipped cream
to assemble the pavlovas
Yield
Serves 12Ingredients
Meringues
4 large egg whites (about ½ cup), at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) blueberries
3 medium peaches, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon sugar
Whipped Cream
3 cups (1 ½ pints) heavy cream, chilled
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Meringues
4 large egg whites (about ½ cup), at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) blueberries
3 medium peaches, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon sugar
Whipped Cream
3 cups (1 ½ pints) heavy cream, chilled
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Meringues
4 large egg whites (about ½ cup), at room temperature
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
Fruit
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) blueberries
3 medium peaches, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch slices (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon sugar
Whipped Cream
3 cups (1 ½ pints) heavy cream, chilled
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
For our Pavlovas recipe, we determined that starting with room-temperature egg whites, beating them with a small measure of cream of tartar, half of the total amount of sugar, and vanilla, then folding in the remainder of the sugar was key to producing a voluminous, billowy, and stable meringue. To shape individual meringues for our Pavlovas recipe, we simply portioned the mass with a small measuring cup onto baking sheets, then used the back of a soupspoon to create mounds with concave centers for holding the cream and fruit. Baking the meringues at 200 degrees for about an hour and a half yielded perfectly dry, crisp, white shells, but they required gradual cooling in the turned-off oven to ensure their crispness.
Before You Begin
Avoid making pavlovas on humid days when preventing the meringue from becoming sticky and soft will be nearly impossible. The meringue shells keep, covered, in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, allowing you to serve just as many as you need the day you make them; adjust the amounts of fruit and whipped cream accordingly.
Instructions
- Adjust the oven racks to the upper- and lower-middle positions and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites at medium-low speed until they are opaque and frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to medium-high, and, watching carefully, beat the egg whites until they are white, thick, voluminous, and the consistency of shaving cream, about 90 seconds. Slowly sprinkle in ½ cup of the sugar and then the vanilla and continue to beat until incorporated, about 60 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and sprinkle in the remaining ½ cup sugar and fold in just until incorporated. Using a ¼-cup dry meas-uring cup and a soupspoon, place 6 heaping ¼-cup dollops of meringue about 1 inch apart on each sheet. Gently press the back of the soupspoon into the center of the mounds to create hollows (see the illustration below). Bake for 1½ hours or until the meringues have smooth, dry, and firm exteriors. Turn the oven off and allow the meringues to cool in the oven for several hours. Once cool, store the meringues in an airtight container, where they will keep for a couple of weeks, until ready to use.
- FOR THE FRUIT Combine strawberries and blueberries in a large colander and gently rinse (taking care not to bruise them); spread the berries on a paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently pat dry with additional paper towels. Transfer the fruit to a medium bowl and add peaches. Sprinkle sugar over fruit and, using a rubber spatula, stir gently to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature until the fruit begins to exude its juices, about 30 minutes.
- Just before serving, beat the cream in a chilled bowl of an electric mixer on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds. Increase the speed to medium; continue beating until the beaters leave a trail, about 30 seconds more. Increase the speed to high; continue beating until the cream is smooth, thick, and nearly doubled in volume, about 20 seconds for soft peaks. If necessary, finish beating by hand to adjust consistency.
- Place a meringue shell on a dessert plate. Top with ½ cup whipped cream. Spoon ½ cup fruit over the whipped cream, allowing some fruit to fall onto the plate. Repeat with the remaining meringue shells, whipped cream, and fruit. Serve immediately.
for the meringues
for the whipped cream
to assemble the pavlovas
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