Red White and Blue Pavlovas

Here's a simple dessert for your Indepedence Day celebration.  Plan ahead - the meringue disks need to bake in a low oven for 90 minutes, then rest in the oven overnight.  Then all you have to do is top them with freshly whipped cream and berries.  One word of caution - don't attempt to make meringue in high humidity (it's very humid outside here, but we have the ac on in the house so I didn't have any trouble).  

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Draw 4-inch cirles on the back side of parchment paper and use as a guide so all of your pavlovas are the same size.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• Pure vanilla bean paste https://amzn.to/2WBEbu0

• parchment sheets https://amzn.to/35JLS5o

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3dwUuis

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Red White and Blue Pavlovas

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 egg whites, room temperature

• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

• 1 teaspoon cream of tartar

• a pinch of fine salt

• 1 cup superfine sugar

• 2 cups mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries)

• 3 cups fresh whipped cream (recipe below)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 225F.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the egg whites, cream of tartar, vanilla bean paste, and a pinch of salt; use a whisk to mix the ingredients and break up the eggs until they're frothy.

3. Place bowl on stand mixer and use whip attachment to whip egg whites until they reach soft peaks; sprinkle sugar in slowly and continue whipping until the whites are glossy and they reach the stiff peak stage.

4. Place meringue in a large pastry bag fitted with a large round tip or use a spoon to form 4-inch circles of meringue on parchment paper lined sheet pans.

5. Bake meringue disks for 90 minutes, then turn the oven off and allow meringues to cool completely without opening the door (I often leave them in there overnight).

6. Store in an airtight container. Makes at least 12 4-inch meringue disks.

To Make 6 Pavlovas:

• Place 6 meringue disks on dessert plates; top each with 1/2 cup whipped cream and 1/3 cup mixed berries. Serve right away.

Notes

• For best results, do not attempt to make meringues during high humidity weather.  

• To make whipped cream:  combine 1 1/2 cups heavy cream with 3 tablespoons of confectioner's sugar and 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract.  Use a whisk or hand held electric beater to whip until doubled in volume.  

Scratch Strawberry Shortcake

Shortcake definition:  A small cake made of sweet biscuit dough that is typically served as a dessert with fruit and whipped cream.

Yes please!!

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Follow the directions below to make the biscuit dough.

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Roll the dough until it’s bout 1/2-inch thick, then use the straight side of a double-sided cutter to cut out round biscuit shapes.

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This recipe will make 6 shortcakes (plus a bunch of yummy scraps - more about them later).

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Give the shortcakes a quick brush with buttermilk before they go in the oven.

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Rerolled scraps of dough almost never bake up as well as the first rolling, so here's what I do with them...

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I cut them into random pieces and bake them separately - they make a tasty snack. 

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Since the random pieces are smaller, they'll bake a lot faster so keep an eye on them.

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And there you go - the perfect vehicle for juicy strawberry filling and luscious whipped cream.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• pastry blender https://amzn.to/2I9WvFR

• professional half sheet pan https://amzn.to/3rQrET4

• professional half sheet pan liner https://amzn.to/2UKeRTE

• double sided round cutter set https://amzn.to/3r2kMCW

• bench scraper https://amzn.to/2IjE0hm

• pure vanilla extract https://amzn.to/3II6mOo

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Scratch Strawberry Shortcakes

makes 6 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped and hulled fresh strawberries

• 1-2 tablespoons sugar

• 4 cups all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 1 tablespoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

• 1 cup buttermilk (shake well)

• 1 large egg, beaten

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries and sugar together; chill until needed

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

4. Add the softened butter; mix until no visible chunks of butter remain.

5. Stir in the buttermilk and egg until a shaggy dough forms.

6. Turn mixture out onto a floured surface and very gently press/knead the mixture together (don't overdo it - we want the shortcakes to remain tender).

7. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness.

8. Use 3-inch round cutter to cut out 6 shortcakes.

9. Place shortcakes on a silicone lined sheet pan.

10. Brush shortcake tops with buttermilk and bake for 40-45 minutes until they're golden brown (internal temp should be 205-210F).

11. Cool completely.

Nothing will pair better with these amazing treats than real freshly whipped cream.  Once you try it, you'll never go back to the canned stuff (or worse, the frozen non-dairy stuff).  

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Homemade Whipped Cream

makes 3-4 cups

Ingredients

• 2 cups heavy cream

• 2-4 tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk or beat cream, sugar, and vanilla until mixture doubles in volume and thickens considerably. Click here for photos.

2. To serve, cut the cooled shortcakes in half and top with generous dollops of whipped cream and strawberries. Enjoy immediately. Recipe makes 6 servings.