Pavlova

the perfect summer time dessert- light melt in your mouth meringue with fresh fruit and lemon (or lime or passion fruit) curd.

The Pavlova
5 egg whites
2 pinches salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup sugar with 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed in
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice (I use a little more).

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F or 150 degrees C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Beat the egg whites with the salt until they begin to form soft peaks. Gradually add the 1 cup of sugar (about a tablespoon at a time) beat until stiff peaks are formed. Fold in the remaining sugar cornstarch mixture and the lemon juice.

Put the mixture on the parchment paper in a circle. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and let the meringue sit in the oven for another hour.

"Lemon" Curd
I prefer to use passion fruit (lilikoi or maracuya) but cannot always find it. This time I used limes as I find them a bit stronger than lemons.

5 egg yolks and one egg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup "lemon" juice
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Slowly heat them on the stovetop until the mixture thickens. Place in bowl and cover with plastic and refridgerate.

Note: I forgot the butter when I made this over the weekend, and it still was great.
Putting it all together

1 cup heavy whipping cream
mixture of various fruits- strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, bananas, kiwi- you may want to mix in a little orange juice to keep them fresh

Whip up the cream and combine with the curd. Carefully spread the curd mixture over the top of the cooled Pavlova. Top with your fruits. Enjoy!