Australia Day Berry Pavlova

I know that there is an ongoing argument about whether the pavlova comes from Australia or New Zealand but for the purposes of a gluten free dessert on Australia Day I claim it as ours!

You can make the meringues the day before but they need to be stored in an airtight container.

Serves 8-10.

Ingredients

4 large egg whites

220g caster sugar

400mls cream

500g fresh strawberries, hulled and halved

125g fresh blueberries

Method

Preheat the oven to 130 degrees Centigrade.

Take two pieces of baking parchment and draw around a dinner plate to give you a 26cm circle on each piece of paper.

Turn the paper over so the pencil mark is on the base and place each sheet onto a baking sheet.

Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until forming stiff peaks.

Gradually add the sugar, around two teaspoons at a time, beating each addition in very well.

Once all of the sugar has been added, use a spatula to spoon half of the meringue onto the first sheet of prepared parchment, carefully spreading up to the line, I don’t do a precise spread and I like to have it a little uneven around the edges!

Bake the meringues in the oven for 90-120minutes, when they are cooked they will lift off the baking parchment easily.

Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.

To assemble the pavlova, or pav as we call it, whip the cream until forming soft peaks.

Place one meringue on the serving plate, spread over half the cream and top with just under half of the fruit.

Top with the remaining meringue, again spread the cream and sprinkle over your fruit.

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