Recipe for Pavlova - for 6

Both the Australians and the New Zealanders take credit for the invention of this dish which was made for the dancer Pavlova, who was part of Diagelev’s Ballet Russe. The white of the meringue was to resemble a tutu.  I am not a great lover of classical ballet and have never been a great dessert maker, but this recipe is so easy and the partly gooey meringue base absolutely delicious. I use light crème fraiche and a mixture of red fruit which provides a good contrast to the sweetness of the meringue.

Ingredients

• Four egg whites
• 200 gm caster sugar
• One teaspoon of corn flour or potato flour
• One teaspoon of white wine vinegar
• 450gm of red fruit (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, redcurrants)
• 250 cl of crème fraiche (light if possible)

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 150C
• Whip the egg whites until stiff and form peaks
• Add sugar in 50gm parts, whipping in between
• Add flour and vinegar and whip again
• Take a large flat baking tin or baking sheet and cover with tin foil or parchment
• Spoon or pour egg whites into a circle of about 20 to 24cm in diameter, building it up on the sides slightly
• Place in the middle of the oven and immediately turn heat down to 125C
• Cook for one hour
• Turn off oven but leave meringue in oven to cool for another hour or two
• This can be made in advance
• Just before serving, add cream and berries
• Sprinkle a little sugar on top of berries and voilà