Pavlova

Ingredients for the meringue

1/3 egg white

2/3 caster sugar

1 Mark out 10-inch circles on silicon paper. Starting at the centre, use a piping bag and pipe out a tight spiral of meringue until it covers the whole of the circle.

2 Pipe out a layer of blobs just touching each other around the top of the edge of the piped base. Try to ensure that they are evenly sized.

3 Pipe out a second layer of blobs on top of the first layer so they interlock.

4 Bake in a low oven (130ºC) until completely dry and crisp.

5 Brush the inside of the cooked base with melted chocolate. This keeps the meringue crisp.

6 Carefully fill the base with fruits of the forest mix. Unifine fruits of the forest fond is a superb product to use for this. You just mix the powder with hot water and add it to whipped cream.

7 Spread out carefully with a palette knife so that it is slightly domed.

8 Place a thin layer (8mm) of sponge over the cream and soak the sponge evenly with syrup (we flavour ours with Grand Marnier).

9 Spread a thin layer of fruits of the forest fruit filling over the sponge (this is optional).

10 Decorate with chunks of fruit and glaze with an apricot gel.

Variations

Try different seasonal fruit toppings and different flavoured creams. Whipped cream filling topped with strawberries is very popular.

The bases can be made in different sizes and can be made as individual desserts or even a stunning wedding cake. n

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