Berry Pavlova

A deep dish meringue nest with a fresh cream filling and tart red berries makes for a great after-dinner dessert. The whipped cream is fresh and unsweetened (the meringue is sugary enough) – but if you prefer sweet cream, fold a Tbs. of icing sugar into the whipped cream. We used raspberries and blackberries for a sour tang, but you could just as easily use sweeter blueberries and strawberries.

Ingredients

• 4 Egg whites
• 1 cup Castor sugar
• 2 tsp. Lemon juice, fresh / 1 tsp. white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. Vanilla essence (optional)
• 1 heaped Tbs. Corn flour (Maizena)
• 1 tub Whipping cream

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on high until they reach a soft peak stage.

Gently add the sugar in small amounts whilst continuously beating the egg whites (don’t add the next amount of sugar if there are still granules present in the mixture).  Your mixture should become ice-white and glossy. Once all the sugar has been added and the mixture can be rubbed between your thumb and forefinger without feeling any granules, the mixture is ready for the addition of the remaining ingredients.

Beat in the lemon juice / vinegar. If you choose to add vanilla essence, do so now (the vanilla will colour your meringue so that it appears a little brown). Beat in the corn starch.

Spread you meringue into a large tart dish or onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Create a well in the centre where the cream and fruit will eventually rest.

Turn down the oven to 120°C and place the meringue in the middle of the oven. Bake for 1 hour, then switch off the oven and allow the pavlova to cool in the oven.

Place your cooled pavlova on a cake plate (unless it’s in a tart dish). Whip your cream until shiny and fluffy and spread into the cooled pavlova shell. Decorate with berries. Sprinkle Silver Shimmer on to the fruit to add a pearlescent glow.