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Meringue Nests With White Chocolate & Strawberry Filling
Glossy meringue nests filled with a white chocolate ganache and strawberry filling. Find out how to make this tasty dessert below.
Meringue nests are the perfect summer dessert! They are slightly crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy in the mouth.
If this is your first-time making meringue, then this is the prefect recipe for you: it’s super easy, has minimal steps and you only need a few basic ingredients.
These meringue nests are mini pavlovas but with even better flavours! The filling is a white chocolate ganache topped with diced strawberries and a homemade strawberry sauce.
This recipe is second to none and I’m so excited to share it with you!
Scared Of Making Meringue? Don’t Be…
My first-time making meringue was a complete disaster and that’s no exaggeration! But here we are with this recipe that’s pretty much failproof!
It’s quite easy when you have an idea of what your meringue should look and feel like. So, I’ve included a video and step-by-step pictures to help you make the best mini meringue nests ever.
This includes my favourite white chocolate and strawberry meringue nests filling!
Watch How To Make It
Recipe Ingredients
Below are the few ingredients needed for this recipe:
Meringue Nests
- Egg Whites: When egg whites are whisked, air is trapped resulting in an increase in volume.
- Caster Sugar: The small grains easily dissolve in the egg white mixture providing a glossy and shiny glow.
- Lemon Juice: This meringue nest recipe is without cream of tartar but uses half a teaspoon of lemon juice instead. Adding this citric ingredient helps to create a lighter meringue, increases the volume and keeps the mixture stable.
Meringue Nests Filling
- White Chocolate Ganache: The white chocolate ganache is made from melted white chocolate and double cream whisked together. This meringue nest filling idea tastes absolutely insane!
- Strawberries Coulis: You’ll need fresh strawberries and icing sugar to make the strawberry sauce. Extra strawberries are needed to top the meringue nests too.
If you’re wondering what to put in meringue nests, then this mouth-watering filling is the answer! Strawberries and cream are a classic pavlova combo, but the addition of white chocolate takes this filling to a whole new level.
My Top Tips For Making The Best Meringue Nests
Meringues are easy to make and quite quick to whisk, but below are a few pro tips to ensure your homemade mini meringues are perfect every time:
Do not add any egg yolk to the whites! Egg whites that contain egg yolk will not whisk properly.
Your meringues nests need to cook at a low temperature very slowly to create a texture that is smooth, shiny, crisp and melt in the mouth.
Do not add caster sugar in one go (please don’t) the sugar needs to be dissolved into the meringue mixture gradually. Otherwise, if the sugar doesn’t dissolve properly it will turn to liquid in the baking process.
If your meringues are browning, then the oven temperature is too high. Even though the oven temperature is set to only 100°C (80°C Fan), if you notice any browning turn the oven temperature down by 10°C.
If you don’t have a piping bag, you can spoon the meringue mixture into nest shapes. Make a well in the middle of the meringue, as this is where the filling will go.
How To Make Individual Meringue Nests
Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make mini meringue nests with a strawberry and white chocolate filling. Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card:
Step One:
Preheat your oven to 100°C (80°F or gas mark 1) and separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and add half a teaspoon of lemon juice.
Step Two:
With an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites on a low setting until the egg whites begin to foam and look frothy.
Step Three:
Whisk the egg white mixture on a high speed, adding a tablespoon of sugar at a time until it’s all in. Keep whisking until stiff peaks have formed.
How To Shape Pavlova Nests
Step Four:
Put the meringue mixture in a piping bag like this and pipe a circle. In a continuous circular motion, fill in the circle.
Then pipe another layer on top of the outer circle. See the video for a visual guide on how to do this. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until cooked.
Step Five:
Whilst the meringue nests are baking, it’s time to make the white chocolate ganache filling.
Put the white chocolate and double cream in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for a minute or until the chocolate has melted.
Whisk the mixture with an electric whisk until thick and creamy.
TIP: Do not overheat the mixture or it will split. If this happens add extra double cream when whisking to combine the ganache together.
Step 6:
Remove the hull from the strawberries and slice it into quarters. Place the strawberries in a pan with the icing sugar. Simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until the strawberries have broken down.
For a smooth sauce, blend the mixture into a paste and pass it through a sieve.
Once the meringues are baked, wait for it to cool down before piping the ganache inside the nest and topping with chopped strawberries and homemade strawberry coulis.
How To Stop Meringues From Cracking
Below are a few tips to prevent the meringue from cracking after taking it out of the oven:
- Once the meringue nests are baked, turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven until the oven temperature has cooled down. This will prevent a sudden temperature change that can cause the meringues to crack.
- The aim is to bake the meringue nests low and slow. Avoid increasing the to temperature to cook the meringues quicker as this can cause it to dry out too quickly and crack.
- Whisk the eggs on a low speed first, then increase the speed to get the perfect meringue texture before baking it in the oven.
Can I Make This Without An Electric Whisk?
Yes, but you’re going to need some muscles and it will take a longer time to whisk! I personally would not do it, making meringues requires a lot of whisking.
How Long Do Meringue Nests Keep?
Meringue nests can keep for up to 2 days stored in an airtight container in a cool dry place. If stored in a humid environment, then it’s likely the mini pavlova nests will keep for up to one day.
How Do You Know When Meringues Are Done?
A great tip to know when your meringues are done is to lift the meringue nest from the baking tray.
If they lift from the baking sheet easily, then they’re done. But if they do not, continue to bake them in the oven checking frequently.
What Is The Difference Between A Meringue And A Pavlova?
What’s a meringue? A meringue is a sweet dessert made by mixing egg whites and sugar until soft peaks are formed. It’s baked in the oven to form a crunchy and melt in the mouth ‘meringue’.
What’s a pavlova? A pavlova is a meringue-based dessert, it has a crispy outer layer but the inside is soft, fluffy and resembles the texture of a marshmallow.
Pavlova desserts have the meringue topped with whipped cream and fruits such as strawberries, kiwi and blueberries.
How To Use Spare Egg Yolks
If you’re making meringue nests with fresh egg whites, then you’ll going to be left with 2 egg yolks as they’re not needed in this recipe.
Luckily, there are so many recipes that require egg yolks, so there’s no need to throw them away! Below is a list of ideas you can use with the spare egg yolks:
- Custard
- Hollandaise sauce
- Lemon curd
- Crème brulee
- Mayonnaise
Meringue Nests Filling Ideas
Now that you know how to make easy mini meringue nests, the filling you put inside is completely up to you!
You can stick with this white chocolate ganache and strawberry filling or any other flavour of your choice. However, if you’re wondering what to put in meringue nests, then check out these ideas below:
- Lemon curd and blueberries
- Nutella cream (melted Nutella mixed with whisked double cream)
- Biscoff cream (melted Biscoff mixed with whisked double cream)
- Vanilla buttercream
These beautifully white Meringue nests are great to make because the fillings and toppings you put inside is completely versatile and you can change the fillings according to the seasons.
Summer berries and fruits for summer, mini eggs for Easter, cinnamon for Christmas and so on.
How To Freeze Meringue Nests
Freeze homemade meringue in an airtight container for up to a month.
When defrosting the meringue be cautious of humid environments, if the meringue absorbs water when defrosting it will soften and the outside wouldn’t be as crunchy. The meringues will take approximately under an hour to thaw.
More Yummy Dessert Recipes
White Chocolate And Strawberry Meringue Nests
Ingredients
Meringue Nests
- 2 Egg Whites
- 100 g Caster Sugar
- ½ tsp Lemon Juice
White Chocolate Ganache Filling (Optional)
- 150 g White Chocolate
- 70 ml Double Cream
- Strawberries To Garnish (Optional)
Strawberry Coulis (Optional)
- 150 g Strawberries
- 50 g Icing Sugar
Instructions
Meringue Nests
- Preheat your oven to 100°C (80°F or gas mark 1) and line a baking tray with parchment paper
- Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and add half a teaspoon of lemon juice.
- With an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites on a low setting until the egg whites begin to foam and look frothy.
- Whisk the egg white mixture on a high speed, adding a tablespoon of sugar at a time until it's all in. Keep whisking until stiff peaks have formed.
- Put the meringue mixture in a piping bag, on the baking tray pipe a circle. In a continuous circular motion, fill in the circle. Then pipe another layer on top of the outer circle. See the video for a visual guide on how to do this.
- Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until cooked.
White Chocolate Ganache Filling
- Put the white chocolate and double cream in a microwave safe bowl. On a medium heat, microwave for a minute or until the chocolate has melted. Whisk the mixture with an electric whisk until thick and creamy.
Strawberry Coulis
- Remove the hull from the strawberries and slice it into quarters. Place the strawberries in a pan with the icing sugar.
- Simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until the strawberries have broken down. For a smooth sauce, blend the mixture into a paste and pass it through a sieve.
- Once the meringues are baked, wait for it to cool down before piping the ganache inside the nest and topping with chopped strawberries and homemade strawberry coulis.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Music in video from Uppbeat, License code: 08VBCZFHCZBZDBBY
Leonora
Very delicious! I’m going to make it again this summer, thanks Michelle