pavlova | Keep It Sweet Desserts

Holiday parfaits layered with peppermint whipped cream, fluffy meringue and shaved chocolate.

I’m having a bit of a moment with pavlovas. Something seemingly simple can be playful and surprising when you translate it into a new and different flavor combination. Over the summer we enjoyed a refreshing lemon berry combo then warmed up in the fall with cinnamon and caramelized apples. Now we are turning towards Christmas with peppermint and chocolate.

I’m going to be honest and tell you that my main motivation for a new pavlova recipe was the extra meringue stored in my freezer. Since I’d bagged it up and then packed a million more things in there it was somewhat crumbled so I decided to make another pavlova parfait. It’s actually the perfect dessert for serving at a dinner party because you can make pretty individual servings for everyone to enjoy. On top of that, it’s naturally gluten-free so if you have a crowd, you don’t have to worry about some dietary constraints. Dessert storage win!

This dessert was a huge hit with my friends who didn’t even get the pretty servings. Theirs got compiled into a big tupperware for easy transporting. Besides, with peppermint whipped cream no one was overly concerned with how their dessert looked.

Peppermint Chocolate Pavlova Parfaits

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Holiday parfaits layered with peppermint whipped cream, fluffy meringue and shaved chocolate.

Author: Lauren Lilling

Recipe type: Dessert

Makes: 12 servings

Ingredients

12 cocktail glasses or glass bowls
1 pavlova broken into bite sized pieces (can substitute broken meringue cookies as well)
591 milliliters (2 ½ cups) heavy whipping cream
4 milliliters (3/4 teaspoon) peppermint extract
80g (6 tablespoons) granulated sugar
8g shaved dark chocolate

Instructions

Prepare peppermint whipped cream; in the large bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat cream and peppermint extract at medium speed until foamy; increase speed to medium-high, and slowly add granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form
Put about ¼ of a cup of whipped cream on the bottom of each glass; top each with about ½ tablespoon shaved chocolate; layer with ⅓ cup of broken pavlova in each glass;
Dollop remaining whipped cream on top of each parfait along with additional shaved chocolate
Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator until ready to enjoy

Notes

Make ahead tips:
Pavlova can be made and kept at room temperature up to two days or frozen up to one month (store in a ziplock bag carefully because it is delicate)
Parfaits best prepared and served on same day but can be enjoyed within three days

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A special Thanksgiving dessert that happens to be gluten-free. This fall inspired pavlova is layered with cinnamon whipped cream and caramelized apples.

While I have a hard time understanding the idea of being “too full” for dessert, some people have brought this concept to my attention in the past. And apparently, at Thanksgiving, this can be a thing. So with the tables full of pies (and, at our house, cookies, brownies and cakes, too), I thought it would be nice to (in addition to all the other good stuff of course) add a lighter dessert option so that even if you can’t have one more bite, you really can.

The beauty of a pavlova, is that you start with a light and airy meringue shell that can be topped however you may please. I usually think of pavlova as a summer dessert, but given that the meringue is generally a neutral flavor, putting a fall twist on it wasn’t so farfetched. Swapping berries out and caramelized apples in is a good start. Then, plain old whipped cream gets amped up a bit with a hint of cinnamon. A slice of this dessert is sweet but satisfying.

Fall Pavlova with Caramelized Apples and Cinnamon Whipped Cream

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A special Thanksgiving dessert that happens to be gluten-free. This fall inspired pavlova is layered with cinnamon whipped cream and caramelized apples.

Author: Lauren Lilling

Recipe type: Dessert

Makes: 8-12 servings

Ingredients

1 pavlova prepared at least three hours in advance (it must have time to completely cool)

Caramelized apples:

28g (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
340g (~3 cups / 2 medium) apples, thinly sliced (I prefer to use a crisp apple like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
235g (~1 cup tightly packed) light brown sugar
15 milliliters (1 tablespoon) fresh lemon juice (from ~1/2 lemon)
5g (1 tablespoon) ground cinnamon
5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract

Cinnamon whipped cream:

237 milliliters (1 cup) heavy whipping cream
1g (2/3 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
27g (~2 tablespoons) granulated sugar

Instructions

Make the caramelized apples:

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter; stir in apples, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and vanilla;
Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are softened and liquid is syrupy, about 10 minutes; remove from heat and allow to cool completely (whipped cream will become soupy if they are too warm)

Make whipped cream

In the large bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat cream and cinnamon at medium speed until
foamy; increase speed to medium-high, and slowly add granulated sugar, beating until stiff peaks form
When everything is ready, generously top pavlova with whipped cream and then with Caramelized apples
Serve immediately

Notes

Make ahead tips:
Pavlova can be made and kept at room temperature up to two days or frozen up to one month (store in a ziplock bag carefully because it is delicate)
Apples can be cooked a few hours in advance and stored in refrigerator; bring to room temperature before putting dessert together

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