Pavlovas with Lemon Curd

Individual meringues filled with zesty lemon curd and fresh fruit, then topped with raspberry coulis, makes a refreshing and beautiful dessert!

Servings Three-inch Pavlovas

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 1

Lemon curd 10

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 250 F.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of your mixer, along with the cream of tartar. Beat until frothy and foamy. Add half of the the sugar and beat for 30 seconds. Add the remaining sugar, and continue to beat on high until you have very stiff, shiny peaks. You should be able to hold a spoon of the egg whites upside down and they will stay for a minute or so. Beat in the vanilla.
Spoon (or pipe) meringue onto the prepared baking sheet in individual servings about 3-4 inches in diameter. Using the back of the spoon, make an indentation in the center to make a bowl shape. If you are using the pastry bag method, make about three or four layers of swirls to form a shell and then pipe more meringue into the bottom of the shell. See nearby photo.
Bake at 250° F for 30 minutes and then turn oven off and leave them in for another 30 minutes. Don’t open the door! The meringue will become crunchy on the outside, but remain soft on the inside. We also love it when the meringue is crunchy throughout as another option. To make them crunchy all the way through, bake them for 45 minutes before turning off the oven and then leave them in the oven for another 30-45 minutes. Serve right away or store in an airtight container in a cool spot for up to a week or so before using. (If you make one large pavlova, increase baking time by about 10 minutes.)

Mix eggs, eggs yolks, sugar, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a small sauce pan. Whisk to blend.
Cook over low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon or whisk, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. This takes anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes, depending upon the heat. Stir in butter until blended.
Remove the curd from the heat and if you have any lumps, (which you probably will), strain through a mesh strainer to remove them. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the strained curd to prevent a skin from forming, and cool to room temperature. Once it reaches room temp, refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 30 minutes. The curd will store for up to a week in the refrigerator at this stage. Just be sure to keep it in an airtight container.

Make a simple syrup by whisking the sugar and water together in a small pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue on a low boil until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, place rinsed raspberries into the food processor. Pour warm simple syrup over the berries and process until smooth.
Strain the mixture through a mesh sieve to eliminate the seeds, pressing down through the sieve with the back of a spoon. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the strained sauce into the receptacle bowl. The mixture will cool down through the straining process. Pour into a container with a tight-fitting lid and set aside if using soon, or refrigerate until ready to serve. This coulis is delicious on ice cream or frozen yogurt, too!

When completely cool, spoon lemon curd in the center of the meringue shells and arrange the fruit on top of that. If you like the idea of the raspberry coulis, drizzle just a little bit over the fruit before serving. Tuck a small mint leaf here and there among all of the fruit as a garnish.

Course: Dessert

Keyword: fresh fruit desserts, homemade lemon curd, meringue, pavlovas