Taking a giant spoon and smashing into a pavlova you’ve spent hours constructing feels like a radical act. But finding that child-like glee is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Bring on the spring silliness!
Serves 8
For the meringue:
4 egg whites
250g caster sugar
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping:
250g strawberries, hulled and halved
250g raspberries
200g blueberries
3 tbsp icing sugar
350ml double cream
3 tsp rose water
Rose petals, to decorate
1Preheat the oven to 150C/Fan 130C/ Gas 2. Using a pencil, draw around a dinner plate on baking paper and use to line a baking tray.
2 Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then whisk in the caster sugar, one spoonful at a time, until the meringue looks glossy.
3 Whisk in the white wine vinegar, cornflour and vanilla extract.
4 Using a spoon or spatula, spread the meringue onto the baking paper, using the circle as your template. Make the sides higher than the middle so you have a dip for your filling.
5 Bake the meringue for 1 hr before turning off the oven and leaving it inside to cool completely.
6 For the pavlova, make a berry sauce by putting 100g of the strawberries, 100g of the raspberries and 2 tbsp icing sugar in a food processor. Blitz, then push through a sieve.
7 Whip together the double cream, rose water and remaining 1 tbsp icing sugar. When soft peaks form, spread it over the meringue, top with the berries and drizzle with the sauce. Scatter rose petals over to finish.
The pavlova recipe is one of the ideas from our ‘Kitchen Therapy’ feature ‘Take It Outside’ from our June issue, which includes recipes inspired by the outdoors and that can be partly created (and definitely eaten!) outside. The recipes are by Lottie Storey and the photography is by Kym Grimshaw.
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