Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Place one oven rack in the middle of the oven and another one right below it.
3. Place a water glass onto parchment paper and trace circles with a pencil. This step is optional, trace the mini circles if you want all the mini pavlovas to be the same size, otherwise you can just eye ball it. Set aside.
4. Separate egg yolks from egg whites and place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer. It is very important that you use room temperature eggs. Add sugar and beat for about 20-25 minutes until the meringue is very thick and heavy with no sugar pieces in there.
5. Fit a piping bag with the large star tip and fill it with meringue ¾ full. Flip the parchment paper upside down so the pencil trace is on the other side and pipe the meringue in circular shapes along the traced circle. Then fill in the inside and straighten it, while leaving the edges nicely piped. Add another upper layer on the edges, to create a small well for the preserves.
6. Slide the parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and slide it from the cookie sheet onto the rack placed in the middle of the oven and next one onto the rack below it.
7. Close the door and reduce oven temperature to 270F and bake for 7 minutes. Reduce oven temperature further down to 220F, without opening the door and let the meringue dry in the oven for 53 minutes, total of 1 hour. The pavlovas are done when the outsides are dry to the touch, just slightly browned, and sound hollow when tapped. It's fine if cracks form in the crust.
8. After 1 hour, turn off the oven and let the meringue cool in the oven with the oven door ajar.
9. Remove meringue from oven, the pavlovas can be wrapped in plastic or sealed in an airtight container and kept for several days in a dry place.

Assembling:

1. Freeze the mixer bowl for 10 minutes.
2. Add heavy whipping cream, vanilla bean seeds and sugar to the cold mixer bowl, fit the electric mixer with the whisk attachment and beat on medium-high speed until it becomes soft and thick. The texture must be thick, and it should hold its shape. Place the bowl with whipped cream in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until serving.
3. Top the pavlovas with your choice or preserves or lemon curd, followed by a dollop of whipped cream and garnish with berries. Serve immediately once garnished.
4. Enjoy!