CRISP and SOFT. PERFECT MINI PAVLOVAS+ Chocolate covered strawberries

MINI PAVLOVAS, filled with melted chocolate and fresh raspberry puree, covered with flavored whipped cream, and topped with a chocolate-covered strawberry! YUM, YUM!
Perfect pavlovas have a crusty exterior and a soft, marshmallowy interior. These are also SUPER WHITE :)
RECIPE:
2 Egg white = 4 mini pavlovas
4 Egg whites = 8 Pavlova
The RATIO of EGG-WHITES to SUGAR is 1:2 (in weight)
( sugar is double the weight of egg-whites weight)
IMPORTANT: Choose a day that is not too humid, or turn the AIR-CON on! Meringues hate humidity!
1. MANDATORY: Wash the bowl, the beaters, and all utensils with a little VINEGAR and water. Dry.
Meringues HATE grease!!!
2. SEPARATE THE EGGS - Do it while the eggs are cold, that way there is less chance of the egg yolks getting mixed with whites. Not even a drop of egg yolk is allowed!!!
Weight the egg whites (mine were 66 gr)
Optional: put the egg whites in a warm bath for a few minutes.
3. Measure the SUGAR: 132 gr (Double the egg white weight).
Use superfine sugar, or you can run your coarse sugar through the coffee machine- we need it very fine (but not quite powder)
4. Mix the EGG-WHITES with 1 tsp of CREAM OF TARTAR or VINEGAR and a pinch of SALT
I favor vinegar, but most of the time I use both, for some reason, LOL
Beat the egg whites till foamy/frothy. About 2-3 minutes with the robot. Mine is a small, weak robot.
5. Start adding the sugar VERY SLOWLEY. It should take around 3 min.
6. Once it is shiny and the whisk moves hard and heavy through the egg white add:
- FLAVOR: 1 tsp VANILLA, or my favored LEMON JUICE
- CORN STARCH: 1-2 tsp.
( Sometimes, I even put 1 TBSP to 2 egg whites. I don't know the science of it, but it seems that the more cornstarch the softer the interior will be. But, of course, don't get overboard: 2 tsp should be more than enough) I used just 1 tsp in this recipe.
- COLOR: In case you want to add color, now it's time to add a drop or two of, preferably GEL type of color.
MIX for 20 seconds or so.
The batter should be so thick that should be able to INVERT THE BOWL :)
7. PIPE
8. BAKE @ 115 F for 1 Hour.
9. TURN THE OVEN OFF. Leave the pavlovas in the warm oven to dry for another hour.
Once they are well-dried, they are ready to be filled.
p.s. You can also save them in an air-tight container for later. You can make them a few days in advance.
FILLINGS:
1. Fresh RASPBERRIES or STRAWBERRIES- 1 cup. I like really fresh fruits in my pavlovas
I like to smash my raspberries a little, then mix them with a little JELLY- not too much, or they get too sweet. They will still release a little juice, so let them drain for 5-10 minutes.
2. HEAVY CREAM- 1 cup. Beat with 2 tbsp SUGAR, 1 tsp VANILLA (or my favorite: Fiori Di Sicily from the online King Arthur's store SOOOOO GOOOOOD!). A pinch of SALT is also a good idea.
3. TOPPING:
Fresh Raspberries or Strawberries. Or CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES :)
Melt 1 cup of Dark or semi-sweet chocolate CHIPS or wafers
( + 1 tsp COCONUT OIL or OIL- Optional)
Make sure EVERYTHING is super dry. If your bowl, measuring cup, or utensils have even a drop of humidity on them it will "break" your chocolate.
DRY WELL EVERYTHING before working with chocolate!
MICROWAVE 30 seconds x 2 TIMES - MIXING WELL after each round.
One more 15 seconds round and it should be done.
If, after mixing well, the chocolate is not fluid enough, take it back to the microwave, but only for about 10 seconds at a time!!!! OVERHEATED CHOCOLATE WILL BREAK!
Let the chocolate cool for 1-2 minutes, then dip your VERY DRY strawberries.
(Real chocolate needs tempering. That's in another video for another time;))
Pour the leftover melted chocolate inside the pavlovas- but thin it a bit with more coconut oil: 1-2 Tbsp.
The chocolate-covered strawberries should be dry to the touch if you want to drizzle some white chocolate. ( In about 10 minutes they should be dry enough)
WHITE DRIZZLE: 1/2 cup WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS
MICROWAVE 20 seconds x 3 times, mixing well after each round.
If needs more melting, use only 10 10-second rounds from now on, until it's fluid.
White chocolate it's more sensitive to heat: it breaks really easily when overheated!
And that's it :)
BON APPETIT!
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[@CookwithElma]

Wow beautiful and delicious😊

[@DrJerryBrandt]

Looks great! 👍

[@MarianaCooks2023]

Thanks 😊

[@snekiuk]

Beautiful 😊😊😊

[@MarianaCooks2023]

Thanks for watching. Really appreciate it :)

[@chillinglunch]

wow this looks great. Like 7 💕💕💕

[@MarianaCooks2023]

Thank you 🤗