Homemade Blueberry Pavlova

The first time I met Trevor’s family, his mom made me fresh homemade pavlova’s. I had never had one before and absolutely fell in love with them that day! They originate from Australia, and have a chewy marshmallow texture with a little bit of bite. As they continue to dry out, they even get a little bit crunchy. They are so good my mouth is watering just thinking about eating them!

My now mother-in-law makes them for us whenever we visit and she fills them with all different types of fruit fillings – strawberries & nuts, blueberry compote, lemon curd… you name it! They all taste amazing in it.

After we went blueberry picking again this weekend, I knew we had to make this pavlova with a blueberry compote for our weekly family dinners. The whipping of the compote is very quick – it’s just bursting some blueberries in liquid in a saucepan. Once that’s done, you make the pavlova which itself comes together quickly as well. The key here is after the baking part – it has to dry out or it’ll end up being soft without any chew or crunch. Whip up some whipped cream when it’s ready to serve and you have a gorgeous show-stopped of a dessert.

This screams spring time to me but you can make this any time of year, for sure! What’s your favorite feed-a-crowd dessert to make? Let me know in the comments below! Happy baking!

Homemade Blueberry Pavlova

Servings: 10
Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes (includes cooling time)
Difficulty: medium
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Ingredients

For the Blueberry Compote

2 cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Pavlova

1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons corn starch
6 large egg whites, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Whipped Topping

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 200°F and adjust the rack to the lower part of the oven.
Begin by making the blueberry compote – combine 1 cup of the blueberries, water, lemon juice, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining 1 cup blueberries and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat. The mixture will become thick and jammy as it cools. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch, whisking to combine. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fit with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on low speed until their foamy and little bubbles form. Continue whisking, gradually bringing the speed up to medium, beating until the egg whites forms soft peaks.
In small additions, begin to gradually beat in the granulated sugar until stiff peaks form and the sugar is almost completely dissolved. Add the cornstarch and lemon juice mixture, and the vanilla extract and salt. Beat on high speed for 4-5 minutes until the meringue is stiff, glossy, and has no granules of sugar remaining.
Spoon the meringue onto the parchment paper and form the meringue into a round shape. Create a slight divot in the center of the meringue.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes, then turn off heat, crack the door of the oven so it stays ajar, and allow meringue to sit for an additional hour in the oven. It is in this hour that the meringue will dry out completely. Then, remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
While the meringue is cooling, whip up the topping. In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Spread over the meringue, then top with fresh fruit compote. Enjoy!