Pavlova

Pavlova

Ingredients

3 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 level cup of castor sugar
1 dessert spoon corn flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon vinegar

For the filling

285 mls cream
2 teaspoon castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
250 g strawberries
4 or 5 gooseberries (kiwi fruit)
6 passion fruit
1 banana

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 210°C.

2. Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric beater till they are quite stiff. Add most of the castor sugar, a spoonful of a time, beating well to dissolve.

3. Sift in the corn flour with the last spoonful of sugar then fold in the vanilla.

4. Add vinegar and fold in well.

5. Draw an 18 cm circle on greased greaseproof paper. Place on a greased baking tray. Sprinkle lightly with corn flour.

6. Spread the meringue mixture to cover the circle, sharping it into a cake or pie shell.

7. Turn oven down to 100°C and place meringue in the cooler part of the oven. Bake until crisp and dry (about 1 1/2-2 hours). When cooked open the oven door and cool before removing the meringue. Peel away the paper.

8. To make the filling: whip the cream and sweeten lightly with castor sugar and vanilla. Hull and clean strawberries, slice them in half if they are too big. Peel and slice Chinese gooseberries. Cut the passion fruit in half and scoop out pulp. Peel and slice the banana. Immediately sprinkle lemon juice over fruit to retain colour. Fill the top of the meringue with the whipped cream and place the prepared fruits decoratively on top. (If the fruits given are not available substitute fresh or tinned pears, mandarins and pineapple.)