Crispy outside and marshmallow like inside, pavlovas are such a perfect dessert idea when you want to wow your family or guests with very less effort. Serve with whipped cream and fresh fruits for a quick dessert. But if you have some time in hand, try with this berry and cherry thyme compote. Floral flavor and not overly sweet with a gorgeous color! Mini Pavlova with fruit and thyme compote is a great summer treat loved by anybody who has a sweet tooth. It’s a small batch and makes just 5 mini pavlovas.
What are Pavlovas?
Pavlovas are meringue dessert that has crispy shells and soft marshmallow like inside prepared with whisked egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. It’s whisked until it creamy and stiff. Then pipped in parchment paper and baked in low heat. This recipe makes 5 mini pavlovas that are so easy to store and kids too enjoy the mini version more.
What you need to Mini Pavlovas?
- Egg white kept in room temperature
- Granulated sugar
- Pinch of cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
It is best to sperate the eggs when it cold out of the fridge. This way the egg yolks separates from the white effortlessly. But then leave the egg whites in the bowl for few hours to come to room temperature.
Can you make Mini Pavlovas in advance?
YES! You can make the pavlovas 3 to 4 days in advance and store in an airtight container and keep it someplace cool and dry.
Assemble just before serving. It will stay good for about 4 hours and after that it will start getting soggy.
KEY NOTES to make Mini Pavlovas:
Room temperature egg whites creates the best volume when whisked and thereby creating the best texture for the Mini Pavlovas.
You do need a stand mixer for the best result. But an electric hand mixer will work fine too. Make sure your whisk and the bowl are completely dry. So do whip it with a clean cloth before you start.
When whisking the egg white, add the sugar in intervals or else the sugar will not incorporate properly. So, 1 tablespoon at a gap of 20 to 30 seconds.
Pipe the meringue using 1M pipping tip. You can simultaneously just spoon the meringue on the parchment paper and create a dent in the center using the back of the spoon.
How to make Berry and Cherry Thyme compote
You can make this with fruit of your choice. Thyme works beautifully in dessert and so I used some fresh springs from my small garden. But you can absolutely ignore that too.
STEP ONE: Clean the fruits and remove the seeds from the cherries.
STEP TWO: Add all the fruits with little sugar, lemon juice and thyme in a pot. Pour little water and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
The compote will be ready in 15 minutes. If the texture is too thin, you can continue simmering it until it thickens or add little bit of corn flour mixed with water.
Allow the compote to cool down completely before adding it to the mini pavlovas.
Recently we went for fruit picking; cherry, nectarines, peaches and mulberries at a client’s private property. Needless to say, Avyan had a blast and we came home with loads of fresh organic fruits. We have been indulging on lots of those fruits and making a lot of desserts too.
My son is a big fan of meringue cookies and I make those quite often. But seeing those mini pavlova shells got him so excited. He didn’t care for the compote or the whipped cream. Although he tasted and did say “yum” but then happily ran away with empty shells. Now he wants me to make it again, sometime soon.
And I surely will, cause it’s just so easy!
HERE are few more MERIGUE RECIPES to try:
How to Make Meringue Cookies
Pistachio Meringue Cake with Mascarpone Lemon Curd Frosting
Fruit and Meringue Tart
Raspberry Pistachio Eton Mess
Mini Pavlova with fruit and thyme compote
Ingredients
for the mini pavlovas
- 2 eggs whites
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of cream of tartar
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
for the compote
- 8 cherries
- 8 to 9 mulberries or you choice of berries
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Pinch of slat
Instructions
- Separate the eggs while still cold from the fridge. Then leave the egg whites for few hours to reach room temperature.
- Before making the meringue, prepare your cookie sheets lined with parchment paper or baking silpat.
- If using pipping bag than keep that ready with 1 M pipping tip.
- Preheat the oven to 225 F
- Make sure the whisk and the bowl are completely dry before you start whisking the egg whites. Drop the egg whites and start whisking at medium speed for 2 minutes. Once it looks little frothy, add the salt and cream tartar then whisk at medium high speed until it starts to looks white and foamy.
- At this point start adding the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a gap of 20 seconds and whisk at speed 10 until it starts to look glossy and form a stiff peak.
- Using a rubber spatula swipe the sides of the bowl to make sure sugar is incorporated properly and then whisk one last time.
- If using the pipping bag then put the meringue in the pipping bag and pipe it into 3 inch circle swirls. You should be able to make 6 circles. You can so the same using a spoon too.
- Bake at preheated 225 F for 45 minutes and then then switch off the oven but leave the baking sheet inside for 1 hr. Then take it off and let it cool completely in a cookie wire sheet.
- While the Mini Pavlovas bake, prepare the compote.
- Add the pitted cherries, the berries, sugar, salt, thyme springs, lemon juice and ½ cup water in a pot and let it simmer in medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Allow the compote to cool completely before you serve it with the Mini pavlovas.
- To assemble the Mini Pavlovas, whipped some cream with little sugar. Spoon the whipped cream on the pavlovas and then spoon some of the compote. Enjoy it right away.
Nutrition
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