mini pavlovas with whipped cream & nougat
I made these mini pavlovas with whipped cream & nougat, toasted almonds, white chocolate and a light drizzle of honey to echo the flavours in the nougat. It was a decadent and very sweet treat.
MaMere’s white chocolate, vanilla, olive oil and roasted almond honey nougat might be amongst the best nougats I have ever tasted, and I have watched Lexi Bird with great admiration over the years as she has grown her very sweet business from the ground up.
Starting out in her home kitchen supplying caterers with her products, she now has a small factory in Cape Town that employs 12 people and is clearly taking these delicious treats to the next level. After trying this amazing variant of nougat, I decided to add it to a dessert.
The cream tempers the sweetness of this dessert but you could easily add some full-fat Greek-style yoghurt to balance the sweetness out even more. I would say about 1/4 of a cup. It really is on the sweeter side of the dessert spectrum but I just adore meringue and pavlova.
The recipe for the meringue comes from my first cookbook and one I tested quite a few times to get the perfect consistency of meringue. Well for me anyway. You want to achieve a thin, crispy outer layer and a soft but firm centre. The meringues can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container until needed.
Recipe – Makes 4 – 6 (serves 6)
Mini pavlovas with whipped cream & nougat
Ingredients
- 4 large free-range egg whites at room temperature
- 1 cup castor sugar 250ml
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- 2 tsp cornflour
To garnish:
- 1 cup fresh cream 250 ml, whipped
- 1/4 cup full-fat yoghurt optional
- 100 gms Ma Mere Nougat with white chocolate vanilla, roasted almonds and honey
- 20 gms toasted flaked almonds
- 30 gms white chocolate shavings optional
- a drizzle of honey for decoration optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150°C. Beat the egg whites with an electric beater until they form stiff peaks. With the mixer still running on medium speed, very gradually add the sugar (over about two minutes), and then beat the mixture on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes until glossy. Add the vanilla towards the end.
- Sift the cornflour and stir the vinegar into the mixture, folding through by hand.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper (or use a nonstick plastic baking sheet) and dollop the meringue mixture onto the tray in your desired size (make between 4 – 6). Shape the meringue using a small spatula or spoon and make a small indentation on the top.
- Place the tray in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 120 C and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and allow the meringues to cool completely (about 1 – 2 hours). You could bake them for a little longer if you want a crispier texture.
- To serve, cut half the slab of nougat into small chunks and fold this through the cup of whipped cream. Slice the rest of the nougat into small slices to top the mini pavlovas. Sprinkle over the toasted almonds & white.
*This post is not sponsored but I received a few samples of the nougat to use in the recipe. I’m promoting this brand because I really love it.
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