Fresh Berry Pavlovas

Crème fraîche is cultured cream that has a texture and consistency similar to sour cream, which you could substitute in a pinch. Look for cartons of crème fraîche in your supermarket's dairy case. You can make and freeze the meringues in an airtight container for up to a month; just remove them from the freezer before you start putting the pavlovas together. No further thawing or reheating required.

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 4  large egg whites
• 1/4  teaspoon  cream of tartar
• 1 1/4  cups  sugar, divided
• 1  (8-ounce) carton plain fat-free yogurt
• 3/4  cup  commercial crème fraîche
• 1  cup  sliced strawberries
• 1  cup  blackberries
• 1  cup  blueberries

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Draw 8 (3-inch) circles on paper. Turn the paper over; secure with masking tape. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with a mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form (do not underbeat). Divide egg white mixture evenly among 8 drawn circles on baking sheet. Shape the meringues into nests with 1-inch sides using the back of a spoon. Bake at 250° for 1 hour. Turn oven off; cool meringues in closed oven for at least 2 hours or until completely dry. Carefully remove the meringues from paper.

Spoon yogurt onto several layers of heavy-duty paper towels, and spread to 1/2-inch thickness. Cover with additional paper towels; let stand for 5 minutes. Scrape into a bowl using a rubber spatula. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, drained yogurt, and crème fraîche. Spoon the yogurt mixture evenly into the meringues. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons each of strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

249 (29% from fat)

Fat:

8.1g (sat 5g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.4g)

Protein:

4.5g

Carbohydrate:

40.7g

Fiber:

1.9g

Cholesterol:

18mg

Iron:

0.3mg

Sodium:

65mg

Calcium:

110mg