Name: Pavlova, Australian meringue with cream and berries
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h 50 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Australian
Ingredients: 6 egg whites; 330 g caster sugar; 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch); ½ tsp white vinegar; 300 ml thickened cream (or whipping cream, 30-35 % fat); 1 tbsp icing sugar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 250 g strawberries, halved; 125 g blueberries; 3 passionfruit

Pavlova is a large disc of meringue, crisp outside and soft like marshmallow inside, topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. It is named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova; Australia and New Zealand both claim to have invented it. Cornflour and vinegar give the meringue its body and soft centre. The meringue can be baked a day ahead and topped just before serving.

Crisp meringue giving way to a soft centre, vanilla cream, and the sharpness of passionfruit and strawberries balancing the sugar.

Method

Preheat the oven to 120 °C (100 °C fan). Mark a 20 cm circle on baking paper and place it on an oven tray.

Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the caster sugar, beating until dissolved after each addition (6 to 7 minutes in total). Gently fold in the cornflour and vinegar.

Spread the meringue inside the circle. Using a spatula, shape the sides and level the top.

Bake for about 1½ hours, until dry. Turn the oven off and leave the pavlova to cool in the oven with the door ajar.

An hour before serving, beat the cream, icing sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Top the pavlova with the cream, then the strawberries, blueberries and passionfruit pulp.