Pavlova

Ingredients

• 4 large egg whites room temperature
• 1 cup of superfine sugar
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• über-sweetnes s of the meringue
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Fresh fruit or passion fruit (kiwifruit strawberries, raspberries, etc)

Instructions

1. 1
   Pre-heat oven to 300 F.
2. 2
   Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Create and cut out a separate circle of parchment paper about 7 inches in diameter. Cut out a matching circle of cardboard. Attach the parchment circle to cardboard with a smear of corn syrup or whatever you've got handy to adhere. (Note: this cut out circle business isn't absolutely necessary, but I find it helps me get a cleaner edge on the meringue.)
3. 3
   In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk egg whites at slow speed, gradually increasing the speed as the volume of the whites increase. When the whites begin to hold a soft peak, add the sugar a little at a time to dissolve. Increase the speed and whip until the mixture is silken and holds stiff peaks.
4. 4
   Having made a slurry of your vinegar and cornstarch, stir to discourage any lumps. Sprinkle the slurry over the meringue and fold in.
5. 5
   Gently heap meringue onto your parchment disk, making certain to leave a shallow bowl in the center for eventual cream-and fruit-filling. Smooth the edges of the meringue for a clean look or make any sort of design you wish. Please email me if you've come up with anything interesting or vaguely obscene.
6. 6
   Place your meringue-topped cardboard parchment onto the lined baking sheet and place in oven. Bake for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and walk away. Baking should take about one hour, but it is best to peek in every once in a while to see how your creation is doing. The Pavlova should not brown, but take on a slight cream color. Leaving it in the oven to dry out a bit is a good thing.
7. 7
   The now-baked Pavlova will keep for up to a week when stored in non-humid conditions in an air-tight container.
8. 8
   For the topping, whip cream and buttermilk until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and vanilla, then whip a little more. You make chose to remove half the cream at this stage for spreading, whipping up the remainder for piping those tutu-like frills around the edge
9. 9
   Spread the whipped cream over the meringue. Top with the fruit of your choice