Summer Strawberry and Basil Pavlova

Ingredients

Cooks in:10 minutes (Baking time 1 hour, unattended)        Serves:6

For the meringue

• 4 egg whites
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar

For the topping

• 500g strawberries, hulled and halved
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves, plus extra to garnish
• 1 Tbsp icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla or 1 tsp rosewater
• 250ml double thick cream

What to do

1. Heat oven to 150C. Mark out the circumference of a dinner plate onto a sheet of non-stick baking paper using a pencil or marker. Whisk the egg whites using a hand mixer until they form stiff peaks. Then start adding in the sugar in stages, until the meringue is quite thick and silky. Then gently whisk in the vanilla and vinegar until just combined.

2. Gently spread the meringue within the circle that you have drawn, and try to create an indentation where the sides are higher than the centre. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the heat and allow the Pavlova to cool completely inside the oven.

3. Meanwhile, prepare your strawberry topping:
Roughly chop your strawberries and add to a mixing bowl. Add in the basil, icing sugar and vanilla and stir gently and set aside.

4. Just before serving, drizzle the cream over the meringue, and then layer over the fruit and a few extra baby basil leaves to garnish. Serve immediately.

Photo Credit @Curtis Gallon

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