Blackberry Lemon Curd Pavlova Nests

Blackberry Lemon Curd Pavlova Nests - sweet blackberry syrup, fresh blackberries, sour lemon curd and crispy, ooey gooey pavlova - this is the perfect dessert! This dessert is delicious and all the elements can be done days in advance. So once you're ready to devour these blackberry lemon curd pavlova nests you just assemble and you're done!

 

 

This recipe happened by chance. I had all the ingredients and what could I make of it, I thought. I had a bunch of egg whites in the fridge that needed to be used. And all I could think of was pavlova. I saw the lemon curd and blackberry syrup and then I knew what I would make.

 

 

Step-by-step instructions

 

This recipe makes 6 blackberry lemon curd pavlova nests, and if you're only two, you'd have dessert for three days. How glorious is that! Or if you're one, you get dessert all week... 🙂

 

I love the fact that meringue holds like forever in a dry space. So I just kept them covered and filled them right after dinner several times last week. I call this a success!

 

The Pavlova Nests

 

Of course pavlova takes a little time to make, but it really is simple and has few ingredients. You just need to keep a few things in mind.

 

 

Tips for making meringue

 

• Use old, room temperature egg whites (30 minutes ish). This makes it easier to fluff!
• Everything needs to be fat free. Clean your bowl, preferably one in metal or glass, and make sure you don't get any yolk in the egg white, or any fatty fingers...
• Don't rush the beating process - the slower you add in the sugar, the better it will incorporate.
• Beat until glossy stiff peaks. This means you can hold your mixer and the meringue will reasonably hold its shape. If you tilt your bowl, the meringue will not slide out.
• Bake in low temperature for a longer period of time. This makes it easier not to brown the meringue.
• Cool the meringue in the oven. Just turn the oven off, crack the door open and let cool completely. About 4 hours, but overnight - or days - is fine too.
• Do not refrigerate finished pavlova, it needs to be stored in a dry place.

 

 

Instructions

 

Take out your eggs from the fridge and separate the egg whites from the yolks while the eggs are still cold. One of these could be used to make the lemon curd if you don't already have lemon curd, save the others for Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies, Wild Mushroom Ravioli, or Chocolate Lava Cake. Let the egg whites rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

 

Preheat your oven to 200C (392F). But we'll reduce this to 100C (212F) immediately when we put the cake in. The higher initial temperature is to ensure a crispy topping for your pavlova.

 

If you know your oven tends to be warmer than normal, you can pre-heat to 180C (356F) instead. Add parchment to a baking tray.

 

In a clean metal or glass bowl, whisk your egg whites on medium-high speed. Add in the white wine vinegar. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla bean sugar together before slowly adding it to the egg whites.

 

Beat for 10-15 minutes. I needed about 14 minutes for it to become glossy and stiff peaks form (check if the meringue holds its shape when you turn your beater upside down).

 

Pour the meringue into a piping bag with a large round tip. If you don't have this you can also snip the tip off of a plastic bag, or even just form them with a knife or spoon.

 

On the parchment-covered baking tray, with the piping bag (or other) begin in the center of each nest and make a circular pattern around and then continue the circle on the edges to form walls to the nest.

 

 

Reduce the temperature in the oven to 100C (212 F)

 

Reduce the temperature in the oven to 100C (212F). Place the baking tray on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for around 80 minutes. You want it to be crispy on the outside, not browned, gooey on the inside, and they will easily let go of the parchment paper.

 

This will obviously not be easy when you aren't supposed to get them out of the oven before they are cool.

 

What I do is I check if I can visibly see any wet parts, if I do, I just continue to bake. If I see it begins to brown I turn the oven off. Once you think they are done, crack the oven door open, turn off the heat and let it cool to room temperature inside the oven.

 

It will take around 4 hours to overnight. They can also stay in the oven for days (side note: not always a good idea, I did this with some other pavlovas and I forgot them whenever I needed the oven and so I burned them - however, they were still super delicious so I ate them, yum).

 

Luscious Lemon Curd

 

Pavlova nests are done! While they are baking and cooling you can make the lemon curd. You can also use store bought. Here's my recipe for luscious lemon curd, it's easier than you think!

 

This recipe makes a lot of lemon curd, but you can use the leftovers in a pie or in a berry tart! Or if you want to try something else, this lime and mango curd works really well here too.

 

 

Easy Blackberry Syrup

 

Hello, blackberry season! Blackberries are the last berries we can pick this year, and so they are even more important to harvest. I have a ton of blackberry recipes coming up, and you can also check out my earlier blackberry recipes.

 

This blackberry lemon curd pavlova nests recipe does use blackberry syrup which is super simple and done in around 10 minutes. You can also use frozen blackberries if you can't find fresh ones.

 

 

Time to Assemble the Pavlova Nests

 

We have our pavlova nests, cooled lemon curd, and blackberry syrup. Snuggle one tablespoon of lemon curd into each nest, or more depending on the size of the nest.

 

Drizzle with 1 tablespoon blackberry syrup (can be warm if you wish), and cover with fresh blackberries, lemon verbena or mint, and powdered sugar.

 

I had lemon verbena in my garden and didn't really know what to use it for. I tried it on these blackberry lemon curd pavlova nests, and I actually think it was super delicious, not only for garnish.

 

However, I have never seen it in the store before, so I completely understand if you don't have this. Mint will be delicious too.

 

These blackberry lemon curd pavlova nests are so pretty and perfect in every element! I deeply hope you will enjoy this. Do not decorate more than will be eaten at that time, as the meringue will begin to soak up the liquid and will not stay crispy anymore.

 

However, it is super quick to assemble, just keep your lemon curd and blackberry syrup in the fridge and these pavlova nests could be made for days and days!

 

This blackberry bourbon smash cocktail would be the perfect pairing for this dessert!

 

 

Excuses for Your Leftovers After These Pavlova Nests

 

• Easy Homemade Luscious Lemon Curd - also needs 1 egg yolk, bonus!
• Dreamy Creamy Vanilla Pastry Cream - uses 4 egg yolks
• Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies - uses 1 egg yolk, perfect after this!
• Wild Mushroom Ravioli - needs 6 egg yolks, so at least you got a head start
• Chocolate Lava Cake - uses 1 egg yolk, and you can pour the blackberry syrup on top
• Blackberry and Lemon Cream Cheese Crepes
• Red Currant and Lemon Curd Brûlèe Tart - another use for your lemon curd and you can exchange the red currants for delicious blackberries and blackberry syrup!

 

Let me know in the comment section below if you have any comments, or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don't forget to Pin it for later!

 

 

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