Berry Meringue Pavlovas

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Berry Meringue Pie

Isn't she lovely? You might not think it from the looks of it but this is actually one of the easiest desserts ever. The only thing that takes a while is waiting for the meringue to set in the oven, but I promise you - you won't regret the wait when it's time to eat these babies.

Ingredients (makes 4):
3 egg whites (I used medium-size eggs)
165g white sugar
few drops of vinegar
100ml whipping cream
1 additional tbsp sugar
fresh fruit to top (I went for a very-berry combo: strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries)

Pre-heat the oven to 100 degrees Celsius / 210 degrees Fahrenheit

Instructions:
1. Take the vinegar and use it to rub the bowl you're going to use to whip your egg whites in, as well as the whisk. This de-greases the bowl, which is important for firm egg whites (they 'sink' when exposed to grease).

2. Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Do it carefully, you don't want a single drop of yolk to 'contaminate' the egg whites. If this happens, start over - the yolk will wreck good foam formation.

3. Combine egg whites and sugar in the de-greased bowl and whisk until you get firm peaks. If you don't want to kill your arm, go for an electric whisk (I used my most beloved appliance: my bright red KitchenAid).

4. Line a baking tray with baking parchment (paper). Scoop the egg white mixture into a piping bag and pipe flat circles about 10cm in diameter onto the parchment. You can do this by starting with a dot and then coiling circles around it so it gets bigger and bigger. When you reach the size you want, pipe an extra circle around the outer rim so that it is raised slightly more than the rest - this gives you large 'nests'. Repeat four times.

5. Place the oven rack as low in the oven as it can go. With the temperature at 100 degrees, bake for about half an hour. After that, I lowered the heat to 90 degrees Celsius (about 195 Fahrenheit) and baked it for another 30-40 minutes until the meringue was dry to the touch.

6. Remove from the oven and let them cool down. In the meantime, take the whipping cream, add a table spoon of white sugar, and whip it up until firm. Fill the nests with whipped cream, top off with fresh fruit, and serve.

Berry Meringue Pie


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