Pavlova

Ingredients

• Egg whites6
• Caster sugar350 g
• Cornflour2 tsp
• White vinegar1 tsp
• Vanilla1 tsp
• Double cream400 ml
• Kiwifruit4
• Berries250 g
• Passionfruit2

Salt and spices grow more slowly than the rest: doubling a dish does not double the pepper.

Weight converts to ounces and volume to cups. Grams of flour are not turned into cups, because that depends on how tightly it is packed.

Method

1. 1

   Whisk room-temperature egg whites to soft peaks in a scrupulously dry, grease-free bowl.

   6 min

2. 2

   Add the sugar a spoonful at a time, still whisking, until the meringue is stiff and glossy.

   10 min

3. 3

   Rub some between your fingers: if you feel sugar grains, keep going, or the shell will weep syrup.

   3 min

4. 4

   Fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla with a spatula, in three movements at most.

   3 min

5. 5

   Shape a twenty-two centimetre circle on parchment, raising the edges and leaving a hollow in the middle.

   6 min

6. 6

   Bake at 120 °C for ninety minutes, then turn the oven off and leave the pavlova inside until completely cold.

   95 min

7. 7

   Whip the cream, spoon it into the hollow and top with kiwifruit, berries and passionfruit pulp just before serving.

   12 min

About the dish

What separates a pavlova from a plain meringue is the vinegar and the cornflour. The acid stabilises the egg white, the starch holds moisture, and the centre stays soft as marshmallow.

The oven is not opened and the pavlova is not taken out: after baking the heat goes off and it cools inside for several hours. A sudden change in temperature cracks the whole surface.

It is named after Anna Pavlova, who toured Australia and New Zealand in 1926. Both countries claim the dessert, and the argument has run for nearly a century.

Worth knowing

• — Not a drop of yolk in the whites. Fat stops them whipping, and no technique fixes it.
• — In humid weather a pavlova turns out worse: meringue draws moisture from the air and softens. Bake on a dry day.
• — Assemble no more than an hour before serving. After two hours under cream the shell goes soft.

Nutrition

Per serving at the base yield, calculated from the ingredients rather than measured in a lab.

Calories

380 kcal

Protein

4 g

Fat

18 g

Carbs

52 g

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