Individual Pavlova with Whipped Cream & Fresh Fruit

I needed a sweet treat for a dinner I attended recently.  One of our girlfriends is gluten intolerant, so I wanted to find a dessert that would work for all of us.  Pavlova with whipped cream and fresh fruit came to mind.  So, to the internet I ran – and found this recipe here: The Foodie Affair.  It came together quite easily. The sweet meringue combined with the rich whipped cream and fresh fruit was a hit with the girls.  I will be making these again!

Ingredients:

5 Egg Whites

1/2 teaspoon cream of tarter

pinch of salt

1 cup granulated sugar superfine (blend regular sugar if you don’t have superfine)

Whipped Cream Filing

1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-3 cups assorted fruits (I used strawberries, blueberries and kiwi)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. For same size nests, draw 3 inch circles on the parchment paper and turn the paper upside down.

Pavlova Nests:

Beat the egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add salt and cream of tarter, and beat at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Put meringue in a pastry bag with a decorator tip (recommend Wilton 1M). Outline the nests and fill the bottoms with meringue. Build up the nests with two rows of meringue.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the nests are dry to the touch. Turn off the oven and leave the nests in the oven for 2 hours to continue to dry out.

Whipped Cream Filling:

Beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract on high speed until soft peaks form. Pipe the filling into the nests.

Top with fruit and enjoy right away.

Note: I didn’t get fancy by piping the meringue or whipped cream filling.  I simply used a scoop to ensure equal sized meringues.  Then, I used a spoon to create the nest.  For the whipped cream filling, I used a spoon to fill the next and then placed the fruit on top of that.  Although not showing the picture, ultimately I placed a dollop of whipped cream on top of the fruit as well.

The nests can be made and stored in airtight containers for several days before serving. The whipped cream filling can be made a day before filling the nests. Assemble right before enjoying, so the whipped cream does not soften the meringue nests.

Click HERE for printable recipe.