Hello! Today we’re making a classic summer recipe - pavlovas! My preference when it comes to pavlovas is for little, individual ones, partly because I think they’re easier and partly because I’m too impatient to wait for a large one to bake.
For these pavs I used a mixture of blueberries and blackberries but you can swap them out for any summer fruit you like, berries, peaches and apricots are all great with thyme. And if thyme isn’t for you, you can use any herb you fancy!
Let’s have a really quick look at the components before getting into the recipe:
Meringue - I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve always struggled with French meringue, it always seems to be grainy, cracking or misbehaving in some other way. I’ve tried heating the sugar, using icing sugar and many, many other methods. In the end I realised that the root of the problem was my impatience, you just have to add the sugar really slowly and if you’re using granulated sugar I’d recommend blitzing before use to speed the process up a bit. Fresh or frozen egg whites both work here but I’d be more wary of boxed egg whites as they can be a little bit temperamental. When it comes to cracking, a low, slow bake is the answer but even then I find that a small amount of cracking can occur, this doesn’t really bother me, I think pavlovas are a dessert that suit a slightly more rustic aesthetic.
Thyme Diplomat - Since this recipe uses quite a lot of egg whites, I wanted to make sure that I used up the yolks at the same time. If you’re using up egg whites leftover from somethings else, this recipe is just as good with a simple whipped cream. Thyme (lemon thyme is even better if you can get it) is one of my favourite herbs to pair with berries but you can swap it out for any other herb you fancy or just leave it out. As the meringue is already very sweet, I’ve reduced the amount of sugar in this recipe so just be aware of this if you’re using the diplomat in another context. The diplomat has quite a soft set, I don’t mind this but if you want to pipe it or for it to hold it’s shape I’d recommend adding 2 sheets of soaked gelatine to the diplomat base while it’s still warm.
Blueberry Compote - This is a super simple compote, again, I’ve really reduced the sugar to counteract the sweetness of the meringue. You can either leave the compote chunky or blend it for a more saucy consistency, I like either.
To Serve - Serve this with any berries you like, I also made a few with a dollop of lemon curd in the base as I had some in the fridge, this was a nice addition but I wouldn’t say it’s really necessary.
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