Mini Pavlovas with Orange Custard & Poached Rhubarb

Hi friends, I’m really excited to start sharing the recipes I’ve been working on over the past few months. I’ve been testing and refining them a lot, so there’s plenty coming — desserts, cakes, tarts, and some savoury recipes too.

I’m starting with these mini pavlovas with rhubarb, because it’s peak season right now and I’ve been loving it lately.

I had never tried rhubarb before, not even in desserts back in Ukraine. The first time I actually cooked and tasted it was last year, when I was visiting friends in Poland. I spotted the freshest rhubarb in a shop and immediately wanted to make something with it. I went for the simplest option, a strawberry rhubarb galette, a classic combination that just works every time, slightly tart, soft, almost jammy filling with a buttery, crisp crust, and it was so good (recipe here).

I think that’s when I realised how much I like it, and this year, when the season started again, I wanted to do something different. Not another tart or cake, but something lighter, more summery, something you can easily serve when people come over.

So I went with pavlova, because it’s one of my favourite desserts. That crisp shell with a soft, marshmallow-like centre is perfect for something like this, but I didn’t want to go with just whipped cream, I’ve made it like that so many times before, and I wanted to change the flavour a bit.

I kept coming back to citrus, because rhubarb pairs beautifully with it, so I thought, why not make an orange custard. I tested a few versions, first I tried a caramel-based custard, but it felt too heavy and completely overpowered the rhubarb, so I made another batch, this time with orange zest, lighter, fresher, and much more balanced, and that’s how this version came together.

Sweet meringue, silky orange custard folded with cream, and soft, slightly tart rhubarb on top, a bit jammy, a bit fresh, and overall really balanced and not overly sweet. Plus, mini pavlovas are perfect when you have people over, no slicing, no stress, just assemble and serve, and they look beautiful.

So let’s get into it.