Mum's Birthday

Ok, I don't really need any excuse to make a pavlova, but a birthday is always a good one. For those interested parties who have never heard of pav, it is, in 2 words "pure bliss." It's basically a giant meringue that you top with whipped cream and layer with your fruit of choice. Tinned passionfruit pulp really is necessary, but unless you live in Oz, this might be hard to come by. I find the key to the pavolova is patience, when you think you have whipped the egg whites enough, you need to whip them more. When you think the sugar is whipped in, you need to whip more. The end result, so worth the time it takes.
My fail-safe Pavlova recipe (shamelessly stolen from one of Mum who got it from an Aussie friend in Saudi, I think)

1 egg white

1/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. cornflour (cornstarch)

½ tsp. vinegar

slurp of vanilla (I know "slurp" is not a techincal term, just go with it)

Whipping cream to layer on top

Fruit of choice

So, the trick is to multiply the egg white, sugar, cornflour and vinegar by how big you want your pav. The one pictured above is a 4 egg pav, about 8 inches diameter. So, I used 1 1/3 cup sugar, 4 tsp, cornflour & 2 tsp vinegar. As I increase the size of my pav I add just a touch more vanilla, but you don't need much more than maybe 1 1/2-2 tsp. for a 10 egg pav (the biggest my oven can handle)

1. Whip egg whites till soft peaks form. (This might take longer you think.)

2. Add sugar, whip until sugar dissolves. (Same as above, this might take longer than you think.)

3. Gradually add cornflour till smooth.

4. Add vinegar and vanilla, whip till blended.

5. Scrape the mixture out onto a foil lined tray. I prefer a pizza tray with a little lip of foil around it to keep it intact. I spray the foil with a little cooking spray to stop the pavlova from sticking to the foil.

6. Bake at 325°F for 30 minutes, then 300°F for 1 hour.

7. Turn oven off and cool pav completely in oven with door ajar. Your pav will probably crack and fall down in the middle, that's ok and expected.

8. Whip your cream and spread over the top of the pavlova. You can make this a thick or thin layer, your choice. Arrange your fruit on top and......enjoy!!!