Ingredients
Feeds 6. Takes 90 mins plus cooling.

The “pav” is the quintessential Australian summer pudding of seemingly fragile, snowy meringue piled high with cream and strawberries. You can make the meringue base up to three days in advance and store it in a large airtight container in a cool place then add the cream and strawberries just before serving.

4 medium eggs, at room temperature
180g caster sugar
2 level tsp cornflour
1tsp white vinegar
450g fresh strawberries
300ml whipping or double cream
1tsp icing sugar
200ml strawberry coulis, optional, see recipe below

Heat the oven to 140C/Gas mark 1. Line a baking tray with baking paper and draw a 23cm circle on the paper to use as a guide. Separate the eggs and place the egg whites in a large clean bowl (the yolks can be stored in the fridge for three or four days and used for ice-creams, custards or flans).

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff enough to hold their own shape when lifted. Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, whisking well until the mixture is thick and glossy. Sprinkle with the cornflour and vinegar, and fold in lightly — this will make the mixture more stable and contribute to a marshmallowy inside.

Use a metal spoon to turn out the meringue on to the baking tray, shaping the sides and swirling the top to create a shallow hollow for the cream. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave the pavlova to cool completely.

To serve, wash, dry and hull the strawberries. Gently transfer the pavlova to a flat serving plate, discarding the paper. Whip the cream until it just holds its shape and spoon it on top of the meringue. Arrange the berries on top and dust with icing sugar, and make sure it is admired by all before you start to cut into slices. Serve the coulis in a jug at the table, if desired.

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