No bigger than a small donut, these mini pavlovas are perfect for individual desserts. Sweet lemon meringue base, lemon curd hidden under whipped cream and topped with strawberries and kiwi puree.
Dual Citizenship Dessert
Pavlovas are named after the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926. The story is a chef created the dessert in her honor – the nationality of the chef varies based on which country you are in. Both Australia and New Zealand claim the pavlova as their national dessert. So this was a fun topic to add to my Southern Hemisphere wine party.
Two other elements make pavlovas perfect addition to the menu. They are gluten-free (as many meringue desserts are) and they have a strong visual impact.
Wine Pairing
Original Pairing: Jacob's Creek Moscato 2020 (Australia) General Pairing: Moscato, Sweet sparkling wine - sweeter side of wine to hold up to with the sugariness of the meringue. Menu Overview
Specialty Ingredients
Meringue Powder
Most pavlova recipes note to use fresh egg whites. and then in a slow painful process, add sugar. There is a tricky balance to getting the sugar to dissolve but not over whipping the eggs. I use Meringue Powder to avoid all that. Instead, you will completely dissolve sugar into boiling water and then add meringue powder and whip it up. There’s no issue with undissolved sugar causing graininess or weeping. Just a smooth, shiny meringue.
Fresh Lemon
I’m not a fan of plain meringue. It can taste eggy. Too much vanilla makes it brown. So I use lemon juice for the acid and a lot of lemon zest (microplaned for fine bits). You need to make sure the zest is dry (no water). I zest on a paper towel and let it sit for a bit just to be sure. Please use fresh lemons…not the kind in a bottle or package.
Equipment
Stand Mixer
You will want the powder of a stand mixer with a whip attachment to make the meringue. Even then it can take a while. If desperate, I suppose a hand mixer and a lot of time to kill would suffice.
Piping Bag/ Food Storage Bag
Technically, you could make these mini lemon pavlovas and filling with a spoon if you like the very rustic, messy look. I use a large sturdy piping bag with large star tip for the meringue. And smaller disposable ones for the lemon curd and whip cream filling. It gives you quicker, more controlled piping.
Pairing knife
I find a sharp, pointy pairing knife works best for prepping strawberries. It lets you carve off any bad spots and then clean slice into the desired shapes.
Food Processor/Blender
It takes a quick minute to puree the kiwi in a food processor or even a blender (upright or handstick). If you try to just mash it up by hand, it will be very lumpy. You want it more sauces so it can drip down the sides a bit.
Silicone Baking Mat with Cookie Patterns
These were the perfect patterns to help trace out the right size and shape meringues. It’s not a necessity (you could make you own patter or freestyle), but saves time and trouble to have them. And useful for other baking projects.
Planning the dish
Mini pavlova bases take some time to bake, dry and cool down completely. So you want to bake them in advance. If more than a day, you should freeze them. Store them airtight. Humidity is the enemy of meringues. The topping part tends to start to melt them – so do that just at the last moment prior to serving.
Timing the Elements
Day Prior: Make the meringue bases and store air tight.
Early Day to Serve: Make kiwi puree. Prep strawberries and keep refridgerated.
20 min to Serve: Make whip cream (can do earlier if have stabilizer or canister). Set up the meringues with lemon curd.
10 min to Serve: Don’t fully assemble until you are about ready to serve as the fruit juices will start to melt the meringue.
Serve: Finish assembly of all Pavlovas and do the kiwi drizzle last across all of them at once. Serve immediately.
Plating Tips
Most of the work of these mini pavlovas is assembly. It is easier and less risky to assemble on the tray or plate they are being served on.
As these are small, not much fits. I thinly slice strawberries and place them on top standing upright. Then drizzle the kiwi puree a bit around any opening, letting it drip a bit down the sides.
Because this is already so colorful, I don’t use any garnish.
see Resource for plating supply ideas
Pairing Alterations
Fruit Toppings
The possibilities are endless. Soft berries would be wonderful (raspberry, blackberry, blueberries). My advice is to find fruit that is tart or tangy enough to deal with how sweet the meringue is. You need some acid. Though stay away from crunchy (raw apples). This is an airy dessert.
