Pavolva with Lemon Curd and Fresh Berries is a simple and delicious dessert perfect for summer gatherings and celebrations.
If you’ve been reading Never Enough Thyme for a while, you have to know that old fashioned, heirloom recipes are very near and dear to my heart. They connect us to our past in very literal ways.
Old recipes bring back memories of happy occasions shared with friends and family. So when the very nice people over at Southern Living asked if I’d like to review their Heirloom Recipe Cookbook, I never hesitated. “Absolutely!” I said, “send it right over, please.”
Every southerner knows that food and family go hand-in-hand and this cookbook is all about passing down cherished recipes.
It includes more than 200 of Southern Living’s favorite and most memorable recipes from the last 40 years.
Full of signature Southern recipes like Southern Cheddar Spoon Bread, Chesapeake Bay Crab Cakes, Dixie Fried Chicken, and Hummingbird Cake plus classic cocktails like Mint Juleps and Old-Fashioneds made with Sweet Citrus Syrup.
There are also a handful of recipes made two ways: “Mama’s Way” or “Your Way,” traditional and then slightly lightened up and healthier versions of dishes like Pecan-Peach Cobbler and collard greens.
I’m really enjoying its distinctive vintage look, with timeworn recipes cards, full-color photos, and short essays about Southern culture throughout the book.
The day I received my copy, I sat down with a big glass of sweet iced tea and starting planning what I wanted to cook. It was pretty hard to choose just one to start with, but I went for this luscious Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Fresh Berries.
If you’ve never made Pavlova, don’t fret. It’s just a big old meringue. And you don’t even have to make the lemon curd from scratch. Just grab a jar off the grocery store shelf. It’s good stuff.
A light, crispy pavlova topped with tangy lemon curd and fresh berries. Click To Tweet
How to Make Pavlova with Lemon Curd and Fresh Berries:
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch whisking until well mixed.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites for 1 minute at a medium-high speed. This task is made infinitely easier using a stand or hand-held mixer :-). Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until blended.
Begin adding the sugar-cornstarch mixture, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is glossy and has formed stiff peaks. Be careful not to overbeat, but make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Beat in the vanilla. I like to use clear vanilla to keep the meringue as purely white as possible.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and gently spread the meringue mixture into a 7-inch circle. Make a slight indentation in the center of the meringue where you will later place the filling.
Bake for 1 hour, 30 minutes or until barely pale golden and the outside has formed a crust. Turn the oven off and let the meringue stand in the oven with the light on for 12 hours. I know…the waiting is the hardest part :-)
When ready to serve, whisk together the lemon curd and sour cream.
Spoon into the center of the cooled meringue. Top with berries and grated lemon zest.
(Note: the center of the meringue may fall or crush when the curd and berries are applied. That’s perfectly normal.)
Enjoy!
Yields 8 servings
Light, crispy meringue topped with tangy lemon curd and fresh berries.
20 minPrep Time
1 hr, 30 Cook Time
1 hr, 50 Total Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tblsp. cornstarch
- 4 egg whites, room temperature
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 10-oz. jar lemon curd
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- Fresh berries
- Lemon zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cornstarch whisking until well mixed.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites for 1 minute at a medium-high speed. A stand or hand-held mixer may be used. Add the cream of tartar and salt and beat until blended. Begin adding the sugar-cornstarch mixture, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture is glossy and has formed stiff peaks. Be careful not to overbeat, but all sugar should be dissolved. Beat in the vanilla.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and gently spread the meringue mixture into a 7-inch circle. Make a slight indentation in the center of the meringue where you will later place the filling.
- Bake for 1 hour, 30 minutes or until barely pale golden and the outside has formed a crust. Turn the oven off and let the meringue stand in the oven with the light on for 12 hours.
- When ready to serve, whisk together the lemon curd and sour cream. Spoon into the center of the cooled meringue. Top with berries and lemon zest.
- (Note: the center of the meringue may fall or crush when the curd is applied. That’s perfectly normal.
Notes
Note: additional standing time of 12 hours is required.
Recipe source: Southern Living "Heirloom Recipe Cookbook"
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Other pavlova recipes you might enjoy:
- Chocolate Pavlova with Mascarpone and Raspberries from Brown Eyed Baker
- Fresh Strawberry Pavlova from Food Wishes
- Black Forest Pavlova from Delicious Everyday
- Pavlova Meringue with Fresh Berries from Leite’s Culinaria
- Cranberry Pavlova from Vintage Mixer
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