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Our mom has been making this crispy meringue pavlova with berries, a classic dessert, for as long as I can remember. Some call it Pavlova or Vacherin, while the Joy of Cooking simply calls it a Meringue.

Imagine a crispy, sweet, light-as-air cookie like a French macaron, topped with ice cream and fresh berries. It’s a dessert that looks fancy, but the preparation is very simple. In this version, I spread the crispy meringues with vanilla bean ice cream followed by strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and cherries.

You can top the meringues with any combination of goodness that you like. Try coffee ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce; whipped cream and fresh peaches; or lemon sorbet and fresh blackberries. The meringue bases are very versatile. 

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This recipe is adapted from the original that appeared in my cookbook, Berries:  Sweet and Savory Recipes.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here are the ingredients in this recipe for Pavlova with vanilla ice cream and berries:

• 4 large egg whites, room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and roughly chopped
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1/2 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup halved, pitted sweet cherries
• 1 quart vanilla bean ice cream
• fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Equipment

These kitchen tools will make preparing the crispy meringues much easier:

• Large baking sheet
• Parchment paper
• Stand mixer or electric mixer with large mixing bowl
• 4-inch round bowl
• Pencil for tracing the circles
• Soup spoon
• Sharp knife for cutting berries
• Ice cream scoop

Step by Step Instructions

Let’s get started, shall we?

To begin, cut two pieces of parchment paper to fit two baking sheets. Trace around a 4-inch round bowl with a pencil to make 4 circles on each piece of parchment paper. Press down hard so that you’ll be able to see the circles from the other side of the paper. 

You don’t want the pencil line coming in contact with the meringue, so flip the paper over before you line the baking sheets. 

Next, you’ll beat 4 egg whites with an electric mixer at medium speed until foamy. Add salt and cream of tarter, and beat on medium-high speed until soft peaks form. Add sugar one tablespoon at a time and beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. The mixture will look soft and glossy, but it won’t fall from the beater. 

Use a spoon to divide and spread the mixture among the 8 circles on the parchment paper, using the outlines as guides to make round shells with slightly indented centers. (If you want to be fancy, you can use a pastry bag with a large round tip to make the circles instead.)

Bake in a preheated 225 degree F oven until the meringues are dry to the touch, about 50 – 60 minutes. Then turn off oven and leave pans in the oven for 2 hours to finish cooking.

Remove the pavlovas from the parchment paper and transfer to a wire rack; reserve. (Once they’ve completely cooled, you can store them loosely wrapped in waxed paper in a tightly sealed container for up to 5 days.)

In a medium bowl, combine the strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and cherries. Spread a generous scoop of ice cream in the center of each pavlova.

Spoon the berry mixture on top. Garnish with fresh mint if you like, and serve immediately.

Here’s the detailed, printable Pavlova recipe:

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If you serve these crispy meringues, I’d love to hear what toppings you use. You can leave a comment on this post or email me at mail @ elizacross . com.

Best always,