New Zealand Pavlova with Peak-Harvest Berries and Passionfruit Cream

Heat the oven to 300F (150C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Draw an 8-inch circle on the paper, then flip it so the pencil side faces down.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups superfine (caster) sugar
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
• 2 tbsp confectioners' sugar
• 4 ripe passionfruit, pulp scooped out
• 2 cups mixed peak-season berries (raspberries, blueberries, halved strawberries)
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Fresh mint leaves, to finish

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 300F (150C) and line a baking sheet with parchment. Draw an 8-inch circle on the paper, then flip it so the pencil side faces down.
2. Wipe the bowl and whisk of a stand mixer with a little vinegar on a paper towel to remove any trace of grease, which is the single most common reason a meringue refuses to climb.
3. Whip the egg whites with the pinch of salt on medium speed until they hold soft, floppy peaks, about 3 minutes.
4. With the mixer running, add the superfine sugar one tablespoon at a time, waiting a few seconds between additions. Once it is all in, whip on high for 6 to 8 minutes until the meringue is stiff, glossy and no longer feels gritty when you rub a little between your fingers.
5. Sift the cornstarch over the meringue and add the vinegar and vanilla, then fold them in with a spatula in a few decisive strokes. The cornstarch and acid together are what give a pavlova its marshmallow center.
6. Mound the meringue inside the drawn circle and shape it into a thick disc with slightly raised sides and a shallow crater on top, swooping the spatula upward around the edge.
7. Slide it into the oven and immediately drop the temperature to 250F (120C). Bake for 75 minutes without opening the door, until the shell is dry to the touch and lifts cleanly from the parchment.
8. Turn the oven off, prop the door open with a wooden spoon and let the pavlova cool completely inside, at least 2 hours. Cooling it slowly prevents the dramatic collapse that comes from a sudden change in temperature; some fine cracks are expected and correct.
9. Whip the cold cream with the confectioners' sugar to soft peaks, then fold in the pulp of 2 passionfruit so it ripples through rather than fully combining.
10. Toss the berries with the lemon juice. Just before serving, pile the passionfruit cream into the crater, spoon over the berries and the remaining passionfruit pulp, and finish with mint.
11. Australia and New Zealand have argued over the pavlova's birthplace for a century, both claiming it was created for the visiting Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in the 1920s. Whoever wins, the rules are the same: assemble it at the last possible moment, because the cream and fruit will soften that crisp shell within an hour. Late summer berries at their most fragrant, the kind that are too ripe to survive a long trip home, are exactly what this dessert was built to show off.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 382 kcal
• Protein: 4g
• Fat: 17g
• Carbohydrates: 55g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 50g
• Sodium: 85mg