Today I am in a good mood, considering the freezing weather here in Sydney.  Because of this good mood, I am going to share with you my tips on making the perfect pavlova.  Before you think I’m some domestic goddess or something, I am, like, tooooootally not, but I do think I cook a pretty good pav 🙂

Firstly, the recipe.  My favourite one is Bill Granger’s recipe, here’s a link to it http://www.abc.net.au/local/recipes/2009/08/14/2655854.htm/.  Don’t worry about the yoghurt cream bit, just the main pav recipe bit.

OK, so here’s the important tips:

1. Get the eggs out of the fridge a little while before you’re going to cook with them so they’re not too cold.  Easy!
2. Make sure your mixing bowl is scrupulously clean, dry and oil free before you start putting any egg whites in.
3. This is the most important one, ready? If you get any egg yolk mixed with your egg whites it won’t work.  You will not get a perfect pav!
4. Which brings me to Tip 4.  I always, always, use two glasses when separating my egg whites from my egg yolks.  One at a time I crack an egg over one glass, pouring the white into that glass, plopping the yolk into the other, and then pouring the individual egg white in my mixing bowl.  Then repeat! Voila! That way one stuffed up egg white can be chucked into your yolks (perhaps to make a delectable lemon tart later if you’re really keen) and you don’t mess up all your egg whites and have to start again.
5. Beat your egg whites until they’ve got soft peaks and then add your sugar very gradually.  I find that if I add sugar gradually right to the end of the sugar, I get a more crunchy, chewy pav on the outside which I love!
6. Then mix your cornflour, vinegar etc in with a metal spoon, and spread this delicious mixture onto a piece of baking paper in a circle, not too thick.
7. Cook for the minimum time and then turn your oven off and let your pav cool down in there.
8. Top with lashings of whipped cream and your favourite berries.
9. Share with your favourite people!

Oh and here’s one I created earlier for some of my favourite people 🙂