INGREDIENTS Pavlova: 3 egg whites at room temperature 2/3 cup superfine sugar 1 tsp white vinegar 1 tsp cornflour Berries: Assorted berries Lemon juice Brown sugar (2–3 tbsp of sugar for every lemon) Crème anglais: 1 – 1.5 cup milk 3 – 4 egg yolks 2 – 3 tbsp sugar vanilla beans or extract (optional)
Berry salad. 1. Hull and quarter strawberries. Wash blueberries and raspberries. 2. Put them in a salad bowl and add enough lemon juice to make a light sauce. 3. Add brown sugar to taste. Toss and chill. Pavlova 1. Preheat the oven to 120°C. 2. Put egg whites into a glass or metal bowl (I use a scrupulously clean plastic bowl). Add vinegar. Beat till fluffy. 3. Add sugar gradually and continue beating until stiff peaks form. This is when the beater holds a nice peak when you lift it from the egg whites. Do not overbeat. 4. Separate the egg whites onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Shape them into round cloud-like shapes. 5. Bake for 45 minutes watching to make sure that it does not brown too much. How dry it should be is a matter of taste; I like mine chewy inside. Crème anglais 1. Whisk egg yolks, sugar and vanilla into the milk and warm very gently whisking all the time. 2. The sauce is done when it starts to thicken. Do not be tempted to continue heeating it because it will thicken further once it is cool. And it will curdle if it is overheated. 3. Chill till ready to serve. Serve pavlova with chilled berries and crème anglais.