Ingredient List

• Serves 6 - 8
• 4 egg whites
• Pinch salt
• 200g (1 cup ) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• The fruit:
• 300ml thickened cream
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cointreau (optional)
• 1 punnet good quality strawberries
• 1/2 punnet blueberries
• Pulp of 2 passionfruit
• Finely grated zest of an orange

A good old Aussie favourite, crispy on the outside, marshmallow within. Strawberries and cream finish it off.  I love to squeeze the pulp of 3 – 4 pasisonfruit over the top.  For something different, make a Brown Sugar Pav (see Tip below).

Preheat oven to 120degC.  Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.  Lightly a trace a 20cm diameter outline on the paper using a cake tin to guide you. Turn the paper upside down so that the outline is on the underside of the paper.

Whisk the egg whites with the salt and half the sugar until stiff and shiny.  Fold in remaining sugar, vanilla, vinegar and cornflour.  Spoon mixture onto prepared baking tray using the circle to help you shape it.  Smooth over the top with a spatula and shape the sides so they slope in to the centre.  Bake for 1 hour then turn oven off, leaving pavlova in the oven for a further 30 minutes. Remove and cool completely before filling.
Whip cream and liqueur until thick and stiff (don’t let it become too stiff).  Pile it onto the pavlova.

Hull the strawberries.  Halve some of them and combine in a bowl with the blueberries, passionfruit pulp and orange zest.  Toss gently and strew fruit over top of cream.

Tip: In her cookbook “Australian Cuisine”, Maureen Simpson points out that for best results the pavlova mixture should be about 6cm high for a good marshmallow centre and that it is important not to make the mistake of scooping out a dip in the centre.   If you wish to make a brown sugar pavlova, use 140g white sugar and 60g brown sugar.