Triple Berry Mini Pavlova

 


I love the berry seasons!  I mean, who doesn’t?  Well, probably my hubby is the only one around here who doesn’t really care about berries.  But then I couldn’t help it but to grab a few basketful of berries home when the vibrant and juicy berries are weaving at me at the farm stands.



If you are not familiar with Pavlova, it’s a meringue based dessert, filled with a whipped cream filling and top with some fruit or fruit sauce. Pavloca is named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavloca. This dessert was created in honor of the dancer during her tours to Australia and New Zealand back in the 1920s.  So, thank you Anna and whoever created this dessert.



How good are these?  Well, my tiny little girl ate two of these in one sitting (a batch I made without the liquor).  Alright, these Triple Berry Pavlova are not that big (I made them in 3-inch diameter).  But still, I didn’t expect my little girl to finish two of these all by herself!  Plate licked clean!  Okay, that’s a bit exaggerated.  But she really did finished the very last crumb on her plate. 



In this Triple Berry Pavlova, I used strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. The ripe and juicy berries are beautiful and the hint of tartness is perfect. Let me tell you, you need to make this Triple Berry Pavlova real SOON. More like, go grab your berries now and run to the kitchen and make this Triple Berry Pavloca, kind of SOON!  You’ll be glad you did.  And yes, you’re very welcome!



When I was piping the meringue shells, I got a tiny little bit of batter left, but wasn’t quite enough for another shell.  So, I piped dollops of meringue drops and use them as garnish on top of the pavlova, as shown in the picture above.  Nothing goes to waste in this house. 



Piping the meringue shells is super simple (refer to the picture above).  I used a piping bag with a Wilton 1M star tip.  See the purple line in the above picture?  Simply start piping from the middle moving outward to make a 3-inch round.  Pipe an additional round of meringue on the edges to create the “shell” so you can put fillings into the shell after it’s baked. 
 


For the meringue shells, I added freeze dried blueberries to add more flavor.  I didn’t use any food coloring so the color of these shells are not as purple as I want them to be.  These are all natural colors from the blueberries.  If you’re serving the pavlova for parties and want them to look their best, feel free to add a few drops of food coloring. 
 


While the meringue shells are baking, you can go ahead and prepare the orange cream and berry sauce. Both of them are decadent on it’s own. Imagine what they can do when put together in a mouthful…along with the meringue shells! It was totally a flavor and texture explosion in my mouth.  This time, I’m NOT exaggerating!   
 


Make sure you get a little bit of everything in each bite.  You’ll taste the sweet and tart berry sauce on top, and a few juicy berries bursting in your mouth, along with fragrant and creamy orange cream, then the crunch from the light, airy and crispy meringue shell.  Tell me that’s not a flavor and texture explosion in my mouth, I don’t know what is.  It was totally a party for my taste buds.
 

Are you convinced to run to the kitchen to make these Triple Berry Mini Pavlovas yet?  Don’t wait any longer.  I think I’m going to make some more….now! 
 
 





Triple Berry Mini Pavlova: (Printable Recipe)
Servings: 8

Ingredients for the Blueberry Meringue Cookie:
3 large pasteurized egg whites, at room temperature
a pinch of kosher salt
3/4 cup caster (superfine baker's) sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup freeze dried blueberries, grounded in a food processor

Ingredients For the Orange Cream:1 cup cream
3 tablespoons powdered Sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier (orange liquor), optional

Ingredients for the Berry Sauce:
1 cup blueberries, divided
3 cups raspberries, divided
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
3 tablespoons orange juice
3 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons framboise (raspberry liquor), optional

To Prepared the Blueberry Meringue Cookie:
Preheat the oven 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silpat. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt until frothy, about 2 minute. With the machine on medium-high speed, gradually add the sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Then, add the vanilla extract and blueberries powder.

Increase the speed to high and beat until the mixture is thick, shiny and holds stiff peaks, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Transfer meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip.  Then, pipe meringue into a 3-inch circle, pope another layer around the edge to form the sides of the shells. Bake for 2 hours, rotate baking pan once in the middle of baking. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool completely while still in the oven, about 2 hours or overnight.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt chocolate chip on high.  Stir every 30 second intervals until melted.  Let melted chocolate cool slightly.  Dip the bottom of the meringue cookies into the melted chocolate and place them back onto the lined baking sheet.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until chocolate harden.

To Prepare the Orange Cream:
In the bowl of the stand mixer or hand held mixer with a whisk attachment, add cream, powdered sugar and beat until medium peak forms, add vanilla, orange zest and continue to beat until stiff peak forms. Add Grand Marnier (if using) at the end and mixed until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To Prepare the Berry Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1 1/2 cups of raspberries, strawberries, orange zest, orange juice and sugar over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes or until the berry sauce is thickened and syrupy. Remove from heat; add the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries, 1 1/2 cups raspberries and the framboise. Set aside to cool.

To Assemble:
Place a Blueberry Meringue Cookie on a serving plate, fill shell with Orange Cream, then pour the Berry Sauce on top and enjoy. Serve immediately. All 3 parts of this dessert could be made ahead of time and keep refrigerated. Only assemble when ready to serve.