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Mini Pavlova Meringue Nests With White Chocolate And Strawberry Filling
These mini meringue nests are perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy in the mouth. My failproof method creates beautifully white and glossy meringue nests that are filled with a white chocolate ganache and strawberry filling. Find out how to make this tasty dessert below.
Meringue nests are the perfect dessert for summer, they taste good and look so impressive. I love to make them as a weekend dessert or as a dinner party showstopper that everyone just loves. I turned these meringue nests into mini pavlovas but with even better flavours, the filling is a white chocolate ganache topped with strawberries. This recipe is second to none; and I’m so excited to share it with you!
If this is your first time making meringue, these mini pavlova nests are the prefect recipe for you to start with: it’s super easy, has minimal steps and you’ll only need a few basic ingredients.
Scared Of Making Meringue? Don’t Be…
My first time making meringue was a complete disaster and there’s no exaggeration here; my meringues were flat, they didn’t rise at all, what I really made was a meringue crisp. I was devastated and didn’t make meringue for a few years after, I avoided it like the plague. If you’ve also had a bad meringue experience and the thought of meringue makes you nervous, trust me there’s no need to be!
Making meringue is actually quite easy when you have an idea of what your meringue should look like and feel like. I’ve included a video and step-by-step pictures of how to make mini meringue nests with this recipe. Plus, how to make my favourite white chocolate and strawberry meringue nests filling. This recipe will provide you with stunning nests each time.
Recipe Ingredients
This recipe is so tasty, simple and quick to make. The white chocolate ganache and strawberry filling only needs 3 ingredients to make and the meringue nests only needs 3 ingredients too.
Meringue Nests
- Egg Whites: Egg whites are used to make meringues. 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 foamy 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. Adding this citric ingredient helps to create a lighter meringue, increases the egg whites volume and keeps the mixture stable.
Meringue Nests Filling
- White Chocolate, Double Cream & Strawberries: Three ingredients make up this delicious meringue nest filling. If you’re wondering what to put in a meringue nest, 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
It’s true that meringues are easy to make and quite quick to whip up, but below are a few pro tips to ensure your homemade mini meringues are perfect:
Your meringues need to cook at a low temperature and very slowly; cooking at low temperatures will give you a meringue nest that is smooth, shiny, crisp and will melt in your mouth.
Do not add any egg yolk to the whites! Egg whites that contain egg yolk will not beat properly.
Do not add the 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.
How To Make Meringue Nests
These easy to make meringue nests is going to be your go-to dessert to add to your repertoire, check out how to make them below. Detailed instructions on the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step One:
Preheat your oven to 100°C (gas mark 1 or 220°F) 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:
Proceed to whisk the egg white mixture on a high speed, adding a tablespoon of sugar at a time until finished. Keeping whisking until stiff peaks are formed.
Step Four:
How To Shape Pavlova Nests
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. Once the meringues are baked, wait for them to cool down before piping the ganache inside the nest and topping with chopped strawberries.
How To Stop Your Meringue From Cracking
The worst thing that could happen is to take your meringues out of the oven for it to crumble apart to pieces. There are a few tips and tricks you can try to avoid this happening:
- Once the mini pavlova nests have baked, turn the oven off and leave the meringues in the oven until the oven temperature has completely cooled down.
- Keep your oven temperature really low.
- Whisk the eggs on a low speed first before speeding up.
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 whip! I personally would not do it, to make 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 meringue nest 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 up from the baking sheet easily, then they’re done. But if they do not, continue to bake them in the oven checking frequently every minute.
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 and is 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 eggs 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 recipes you can use with the spare egg yolks:
- Custard
- Hollandaise sauce
- Lemon curd
- Crème brulee
- Mayonnaise
Changing The Meringue Nests Filling
Now that you know how to make easy mini meringue nests with this recipe, the filling you put inside is completely up to you! You can stick with this white chocolate ganache and strawberry filling, a classic pavlova filling of whipped cream and strawberries or other flavours of your choice.
Meringue nests are such great desserts because the fillings and toppings you can 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
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 should take under 1 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
- 150 g White Chocolate
- 50 ml Double Cream
- 250 g Strawberries or less to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 100°C (gas mark 1 or 220°F).
- 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 finished. Keeping whisking until stiff peaks are formed.
- Put the meringue mixture in a piping bag 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.
- 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.
- Once the meringues are baked, wait for them to cool down before piping the ganache inside the nest and topping with chopped strawberries.
Video
Nutrition
Music in video from Uppbeat, License code: 08VBCZFHCZBZDBBY
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