Rani's Pavlova

pavlova (8 persons)

I tried this when Rani made it for her daughter's 21st birthday. It was wonderful.

- 6 egg whites at room temperature
- a pinch of salt
- 2 cups/360 g caster super fine sugar
- 1 tsp cornflour (i never use that as i never have any!)
- 1 tsp of vinegar (sometimes i forget to put it in and it doesn't seem to make any difference)
- 240 ml double cream
- passion fruit, or strawberries or raspberries, blue berries, whatever fruit selection you have and want for the decoration.

Heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

Lightly grease a baking tray and line it with baking parchment/waxed paper.
draw a 8 1/2 inch (22cm) circle on the paper. (i just make the circle whilst pouring eggs whites on paper).

Put the egg whites in a large bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk until stiff. Start whisking in the sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, and whisking well after each addition.
Continue whisking until the egg whites are stiff and glossy, they should be stiff enough for you to hold the bowl over your head without the meringue falling out.
Last of all, whisk in the cornflour and vinegar. I add some vanilla essence here, 1 tsp, especially if i put the vinegar in.

Mound the meringue on to the paper lined tray and bake for 5 mins and then turn the oven down to 130C/250F/Gas1 and cook for 1 hour and a quarter until crunchy-crusted but still marsh mellow centered.

Cool before lifting off baking parchment.

Whip cream, add a tiny sugar to it, and then decorate inner circle of pavlova with cream and fruit and you can dust it with icing sugar too.