Strawberry Pavlovas
 
Makes 10
Ingredients
  • 2 large egg whites, room temperature
  • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
  • ⅛ teaspoon orange extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 2½ cups (⅛-inch) sliced strawberries
  • Garnish: orange zest
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Using a 3-inch round cutter and a pencil, trace 10 circles 2 inches apart on parchment. Flip parchment over so pencil marks are face-down on baking sheet.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine egg whites, cream of tartar, orange extract, and salt. Beat with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar gradually, beating until stiff peaks form. (Meringue mixture will look glossy.)
  4. Place mixture in a piping bag fitted with a medium open-star tip*. Starting in the middle of each traced circle, pipe concentric circles of meringue mixture outward until circle is filled. Pipe 1 to 2 extra layers on perimeters of rounds to form a rim around the edge of each circle.
  5. Bake for 1 hour. Turn oven off, and let sit in oven for at least 2 hours or overnight. (This will help meringues continue to dry and form a crispy shell.)
  6. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream, and brown sugar with a mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
  7. Divide cream cheese mixture evenly among meringue shells. Arrange strawberry slices, pointed tips up, in concentric circles in cream cheese mixture to form a flower shape. Garnish center of each Pavlova with orange zest, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
*For testing purposes, our test kitchen used a Wilton #21 decorating tip.
Recipe by Victoria at https://victoriamag.com/strawberry-pavlovas-recipe/