Mini Pavlova Bites

These gluten-free Mini Pavlova Bites are perfect little meringues which have been filled with lemon and blueberries or raspberry and pistachio. Being little more than bite size they are perfect for parties.

Party time is the perfect time for a treat and one of my all time favourite treats is meringue, fruit and cream in some form or another.

These mini pavlovas bites are pretty and perfect for parties. They might not be exactly bite-size (unless you have a very large mouth) but they are still small enough to pick up and eat in a couple of bites which makes them perfect for finger food to pass around at a party.

The recipe will make about 24–26 meringues depending on the size you pipe them and in this recipe, I have given the choice of two fillings: Raspberry and Pistachio or Lemon and Blueberry so you can choose your favourite.

Or for larger gatherings, you could double up the meringue and serve both. The meringue nests can be made ahead of time ( a week or longer if stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place).

The fillings only take a few minutes to knock up and the mini pavlovas are best filled just an hour or so before required so that the meringue keeps its crispness.

Making the Mini meringues

To make the meringue whisk the egg whites until standing in stiff peaks. Make sure the bowl and whisk are scrupulously clean, any grease will reduce the volume of the whisked egg whites or even prevent them from whisking up at all. This is also why it is essential not to get any of the yolk into the mixture when separating the eggs.

Next add the sugar slowly, a spoonful at a time whisking all the time. Once all the sugar is added contune whisking until you have a thick glossy meringue.

For these I have piped them with a star nozzle, making a round of meringue about 5cm (2in) across. I then used the back of a teaspoon to hollow out the centre slightly.

If you don’t have a piping bag or just can’t be bothered to pipe them, you could make the mini pavlovas by placing spoonfuls of the meringue onto the baking sheet and hollowing out the centre slightly instead. Allow a little room for them to expand slightly.

It is important that you do not open the oven door until they have dried out. Bake on a low temperature for 20 minutes then turn the oven off and leave the door closed for at least 2 hours for the meringues to dry in the heat of the cooling oven.

Raspberry and Pistachio Mini Pavlova Bites

The filling is made by mashing a few raspberries with a little icing sugar which is then folded into lightly whipped cream. I like to add a small splash of booze to the raspberries when mashing, an orange flavoured liqueur works well or even a splash of gin or brandy.

If you prefer you can push the raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds but I find its not necessary and quite like having a few large chunks of raspberry throughout the cream rather than it being completely smooth but this is just my personal preference.

Whether you use a chunkier mixture or a smooth mixture, do not over fold the mixture into the cream, it looks prettiest marbled through.

To complete, the raspberry cream is then spooned on top of the meringue and topped with a whole raspberry and a sprinkling of pistachio nuts.

Lemon and Blueberry Mini Pavlova Bites

The cream for these is made by folding lemon curd through lightly whipped cream. Again do not over fold so that you have a marbled effect.

Choose a good quality lemon curd and if it is very thick, stir a little before adding to the cream to loosen. Top the pavlovas with a few blueberries.

No time to make it now – Pin for later

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Mini Pavlova Bites Step by Step

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