Mini Orange Curd Pavlovas with Summer Fruits

These mini pavlovas are the perfect showstopper desert for your next summer BBQ. Super simple to make with readily available ingredients, you can choose which ever curd or jam you like for the topping, we chose orange for its sweet and tangy freshness, making it the perfect accompaniment to a warm summer’s day and the best part is, everyone gets their own.

Ingredients

For the meringue (Makes 6):

• 3 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 150g caster sugar
• Garnish of choice, we chose blackberries, blueberries and mint
• Icing sugar to dust

For the Orange curd:

• 4 large egg yolks
• Zest and juice of 2 large oranges (or use lemon)
• 150g caster sugar
• 40g cold butter

Method

1. Heat the oven to 110C/ fan 90C/ gas ¼. Separate the egg whites carefully from their yolks ensuring no yolk is left in the whites, (make sure you save the yolks for the curd!). Pour the whites and lemon juice into a clean stand mixer mixing bowl and whisk until the whites double in volume and hold a soft peak.
2. Leave the whisk running gently and slowly add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, allowing each spoonful to fully incorporate before adding the next. Continue this process until all the sugar is added and the whites are glossy.
3. Place a sheet of baking paper on a large baking tray and spoon the meringue gently into 6 blobs adding a shallow well in the centre of each meringue (this is where the curd will sit).
4. Bake the meringues for 2 hours until they are nice and crisp and lift easily from the paper.
5. While the meringues are baking, begin preparing the curd, start by whisking the egg yolks and caster sugar in a sauce pan until smooth. Then add the zest and juice of the orange to the pot and whisk until fully incorporated.
6. Begin warming the mixture on a medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the curd coats the back of the spoon.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and stir-in the cold butter. Do this one small cube at a time until all the butter is incorporated and your curd is complete. Pour the mixture into a clean, sterilised jar and leave to cool completely in the fridge, or place in a cool spot in the kitchen.
8. Once the meringues are baked and cooled, carefully spoon small dollops of curd into the meringue wells, and then garnish with blackberries, blueberries, shredded mint leaves and a dusting of icing sugar.
9. Enjoy post BBQ in the sunshine with family and friends!

Images by HM

Tableware by Burleigh