Old Nan's Pavlova

Serves: 8

The king of Australian specialties, the humble pavlova. Meringue base topped with fresh whipped cream and then choice toppings. Personally I go for the Banana, Strawberries, Kiwi Fruit and Passion fruit combo. Some people don't like Banana, others Passion fruit, I have heard some heathens skip the fruit all together and use shaved chocolate instead!

This is a special dish for my family. My great grandmother the infamous 'Old Nan', used to make this every Christmas for family lunch when I was a kid, no matter how much food we had there was never pavlova left over on the 26th. Nowadays my Brother has inherited the legacy of Old Nan and is now the family lord of the Pav. This is the recipe.

Usually we make a 1.5 or double mixture, but the ingredient listed are for a single batch.

Ingredients

4 egg whites
1 cup caster/super fine sugar
1 1/2 cups of whipped cream
1 tsp Vanilla essence
Toppings - Your choice!

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160*C (325*F). Line a large oven tray with non-stick baking paper & draw a 20cm (8") circle on the paper
2. Beat the egg whites with electric beaters in a large dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, beating well after each addition. Once all the sugar is added beat for 5-10 minutes to ensure all the sugar is dissolved. Note: the secret here is to do it slowly, add the sugar very gradually, beat for a minute or so after ever sugar addition, and don't skimp on the final 5-10 minutes beating time)
3. Spread the meringue onto the tray inside the marked circle. Shape the meringue evenly, running the flat side of a knife  along the edge and over the top. Run the palette knife up the edge of the meringue mixture all the way around making furrows. Note: The furrows are important, this is one of the factors which will contribute to ensuring your pav doesn't collapse. Get some good 'swirls all the way around.
4. Turn the oven down to 150*C (300*C). And then bake for 30 minutes or until it looks pale & crisp.
5. Reduce the heat to 120*c (225*F) and bake for 10-15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova inside. Note: The second part about keeping your pavlova up is the cooling down process, and this part depends on your oven. At home our family oven cools down slowly so you need to put a spatula or knife in the oven door to prop it open a little to cool, without cooking the pav further. However my US oven cools down way too quickly already so I cannot open the door otherwise the pav will cool down too quickly and collapse. Good luck with this!
6. Leave the Pavlova in the oven or somewhere dry over night to ensure it cools completely.
7. Whip cream with Vanilla essence.
8. Top Pavlova with Cream and choice of toppings