If someone says ‘summer BBQ’ and you don’t think ‘pavlova’, then I don’t know what to say to you. To me, pavlova is the ultimate summer dessert and nothing beats a chewy inside & a crispy outside. This is how to create the perfect texture combo. I advise making this the night before you need it so you can leave it to cool completely in the oven over night – your oven will be unusable whilst your pav is cooling!

Method

Heat to the oven to 140C (fan – 160 convection). Prepare a flat baking sheet – line with baking paper and I like to draw a circle on but you can free hand it if you’re feeling brave.

In a large, clean (ideally metal) bowl, whisk the egg whites using an electric whisk – you can do this by hand but you will likely get very tired. When the whites are starting to become stiffer begin adding the sugar 1 spoonful at a time, whisking well between each addition until all the sugar is used. Next add the corn flour & vinegar and whisk again.

At this point the meringue should be thick, glossy & shiny and hold it’s self in peaks on the whisk. You also shouldn’t see too many visible grains of sugar.

Get your baking tray and spoon the mix in to the circle, building up the sides higher than the centre.

Place the meringue in the oven and turn the heat down to 130C/150C. Bake for 1 hour. After 1 hour, without opening the oven door, turn the oven off and leave to cool completely in the oven.

When cold, whip the cream (you can add vanilla/icing sugar for a sweeter cream) and top the pavlova, adding your chosen fruit! Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.