A wonderful Christmas celebration dessert, this lemon meringue pavlova is an easy recipe to try at home.
Lemon Meringue Pavlova
Ingredients
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1 cup castor sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 teaspoons white vinegar
60g Australian butter, chopped
1/2 cup castor sugar, extra
2 eggs, lightly beaten
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 large lemon (approx 1/3 cup lemon juice)
2 cups Australian thickened cream, whipped until soft peaks form
Fresh raspberries, for serving
Method
Preheat oven to 150°C. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. With mixer running, gradually add sugar, beating well until sugar has dissolved and mixture is thick and glossy. Beat in cornflour and vinegar until just combined.
Shape mixture into a 20cm round on a baking paper lined tray. Roughen the sides and top of pavlova with a spatula. Place in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 120°C. Bake for 1 1/4 hours. Turn oven off and allow pavlova to cool completely in oven.
To make lemon curd, microwave butter and extra sugar on high for 1 minute. Stir well. Whisk eggs, lemon juice and rind in a separate bowl until combined. Quickly whisk egg mixture into the hot butter mixture. Microwave on high for 3 minutes until thick, whisking well at 1 minute intervals. Strain through a fine sieve, cool and refrigerate until required.
To serve, place pavlova on serving platter and spread with cream. Dollop with lemon curd and berries.
Tips & Hints
Always use spotlessly clean beaters when making pavlova, to guarantee lots of volume. Adding sugar gradually will ensure it's dissolved and prevent the pavolva from weeping. Cheat by buying a ready made pavlova base for this recipe and topping with cream and lemon curd.